Angel’s Fury: Flight of the Angels
by Marine Brother Shran
Summary: Mercenary life is hard. It’s a given. Day to day, they slog through atrocious and often dangerous work. Are they going to survive? Are they going to go home? Are they going to even live into the next minute? Are they going to even get paid?
1. Chapter 1

**Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter I**

Solaris VII, central metropolis of glorified gladiatorial combat. The ultimate arena of the Inner Sphere, warriors of all walks congregate to test their mettle in the ring of battle.

Rising towers, billowing smoke, brilliant lights that dot the lands and the ever pervasive stench of ozone that clings like a parasite, it is here, in Solaris City, that the bloodlust and the adrenaline pumping nature of battle boils and rages like an erupting volcano.

Throughout the city these gladiatorial rings are scattered. And far beyond the eye could see a waking sea of people walked, talking and shouting about about the duels. Banners strung across from building to building bearing the names of great heroes. And in the hands of children, toy figurines of colossal machines handled with pre-pubescent glee re-enacting vicious scenes of battle witnessed just days ago.

And in these lands bars and pubs played host to many a people who come in and view the daily matches. Their doors open into the wee hours of the morning they play host to those who can afford their goods as they sit down and watch monstrous engines of destruction duel one another for supremacy.

Even deeper into the city, into the battle rings themselves, the crowd waits in anticipation; with bated breath. Everywhere the people gambled; life savings thrown down haphazardly just for the minute possibility that their bet would triumph. In the stands people from all walks of life filled the seats; from the high-end riches to the lowest commoner.

In that crowd, a lone mercenary of the Angel's Fury waited. Golden tresses that fluttered with breeze, held back by a low pony tail tied at the base of her head. Alexandra Carter, a mere speck within the masses, quietly wrote her notes in a dossier. Azure eyes glanced at the scoreboard, noting the time. The next round was to begin.

With dossiers in hand, she had come to Solaris VII with the intent to recruit, evaluating her candidates where they performed best: in the field of battle. Watching them match after match, destructive battle after battle, she assessed their abilities and their backgrounds, slowly eliminating those of poor skill, shady histories, poor backgrounds or connections, or combinations thereof. Other considerations were made as she continuously narrowed down that list.

Until there were only two.

Fanfare began to play, its rousing overtures sparking and electrifying the energized crowd into deeper bloodlust. Sixteen gates groaned and grinded as they slowly unveiled primed and battle ready machines, each and every one of them thirsting, _craving_, for blood. These slow, massive, lumbering monstrosities of death and destruction marched into the ring, each and every resounding step thunderous and powerful, declaring their dominating presence.

They were the gladiators of Solaris. They were the champions of Solaris.

They _were_ Solaris.

The commentator's loud voice echoed across the stadium as it introduced the competitors of the coliseum. But Alexandra cared little for any of them, save for two who walked out from gates 2 and 4.

"From gate 2 here's Kasumi Hayashibara. Though a newcomer to these matches, she's not to be taken lightly. She's a hunter of fighter, tearing through the competition with her Marauder."

From her seat, she appraised the machine, noting that it was an older 3 series model, but using the weapons configuration of a 5S. Painted ocean blue and white accents along its arms, and torso, it stood out like a sore thumb among its competition.

"From gate 4, we have the lovely Jasmine Chang, the Thunder Goddess, and her faithful hound, the Arctic Wolf. A true brawler in any circuit, she's considered the queen of such combat. Although a newcomer to the open circuit, she's no stranger to Solaris. A feared name on the Assault circuit, the Thunder Goddess dominated, tearing everything in her way with her Daishi. The favourite veteran for the round, we'll see how she stands up against the rookie favourite Kasumi."

All pilots present were considered, but they were the crème of the crop. Issuing contract offers, she watched this match to answer one question: who was better in a controlled environment?

Here, they were in a confined ring. There were no other factors outside the given battlefield. Here she could see how they could stand up against one another where the only interference was the competition.

The horn sounded commencing the bloodshed.

Immediately the Marauder and Arctic Wolf split in two directions. Watching the match with rapt attention, she turns her eyes upon Kasumi as she unleashes a thunderous storm of lightning upon a hapless Thor. Its leg boomed with the fury of a supernova, violently ripping it apart at the hip, hurtling it down onto its side. While calmly firing down another target, she strides forward, kicking out as if it were a mere pebble. The pilot was down.

First blood was drawn.

Before Alexandra, the battle roared with the voice of a thousand lions. Lances of crimson, emerald, azure, and lightning cut through the air. Smoke trails streaked and screamed in a deadly game of cat and mouse, hunting and stalking their pray with relentless fury. The smell of exhaust and ozone pervaded as the minutes passed by. The very air shimmered, shrouding the mechs in the image of godhood.

It was a deadly dance as giant behemoths circled one another. Taunting, goading, luring. Until the last man stood, they were all enemies.

The Arctic Wolf howled charging headlong into a Vulture. A deadly hunter in the right hands, it sprung forward with the ferocity of its namesake. The Vulture backpedalled, its firing erratically in a vain attempt to ward off a predator that had found its prey.

Entering her strike range, Jasmine unleashes a flurry of SRM-6 missiles and pulse laser, each strike precise and true, ripping away at her prey's torso eroding armour like acid, exposing its innards for all to see. The distance closed even faster as it attacked. Down on the ground, the Vultures legs swept from underneath, the wolf pounced upon the downed mech.

The buzzer rang, more blood had been drawn.

Around Alexandra, the hoots, the hollers, the cheers, the raucous noise, it all began to die. The lust for blood, the demand for destruction, the passion for battle, it grew and grew and grew. But like the fickle cat, they were not satisfied. They wanted more like a spoiled child. They demanded for more. They craved for more. They _screamed_ for more. Everything fell far too quickly. Everything was ending far too soon.

For as the dust settles, only Kasumi and Jasmine stood.

Like the ever vigilant hunter, Kasumi calmly waited. Cold, calm, methodical, precise, she was the perfect long range striker. With near infinite patience and composure, she could wait for hours, if not days, for the perfect moment to strike with the force and speed of thunder and lightning.

Like the ever ardent brawler, Jasmine was one to be feared. With the speed and ferocity of a wild cat, she cuts into vulnerabilities, preying upon them, bringing swift and deadly blows, tearing armour into pieces. She was the epitome of close range assault.

They stood on other either sides of the ring, their crosshairs upon the other. Slowly they circled, waiting, searching, stalking. That opening would come. That moment to strike was ordained. Only one would rise. For in battle, one mistake could end it all.

Stepping around fallen mechs, debris, and other obstacles, they kept the other in their sights. No one was sure what the other was doing. No one could know what their thoughts were. They only knew one thing: the moment the first shot was fired, it would explode into bloody combat.

The air was thick with anticipation. Everyone hung to the edge of their seats, waiting with bated breath. Tensions mounted as the minutes went by. Even the lively commentators had fallen silent, occasionally observing or speculating of what was to happen.

The match rendered down into a classical western shootout. On either ends warriors stared down one another. Their hands ready, trigger finger twitching, waiting, searching, for the moment. The tension continued to mount. No one dared to look away. For when the moment came it would be all over in the blink of an eye.

All it would take would be the push of a button.

The Arctic Wolf buckled as its torso exploded. The Marauder charged. Running headlong, its gauss rifle struck, shattering the wolf's shoulder. By the time Jasmine could recover Kasumi was on top of her, forcing it into retreat. Additional laser fire followed up distorting her balance even further. With each single methodical strike, more and more armour was stripped.

Weathering the deadly storm of lightning and laser, Jasmine struggled in a desperate attempt to fight back. In mere seconds, the Arctic Wolf was torn asunder. Whole sections of armour flew off in chunks or globs of molten metal. Whatever wasn't blown off stuck, covering it in a thick sludge like a festering wound. Sparks flew everywhere as smoke billowed from fires burning within.

The stands were in uproar, in support or disbelief at the Marauder's advance. Entrenched in their simple minded beliefs, they claimed with utter certainty victory belonged to Kasumi. With her rate of attack, her aggressive stance, and better weapons, she would never allow the Wolf to recover and retaliate. Alexandra, however, disagreed. Victory was only assured with the destruction of the opponent. Until that buzzer rang, Jasmine was still a dangerous threat.

In an instant, Wolf suddenly lashes out, smashing its functioning arm into the nose of the Marauder. Its opponent momentarily stunned, it unleashed a storm of SRM-6 and pulse weapons, knocking the older machine clean off its feet. The armour fell off by the plates, exposing whole section of hydraulics, wiring, and myomers.

Taking a step forward, it followed up its assault with a vicious kick to the underside of the nose. It was angry. It was incensed. With fangs bared blood in its mouth, it chased after the skidding mech. With every intension to finish it all, it unleashes another salvo, suddenly buckling as lightning shattered its other arm. But it was far too late.

The final blow had been struck. Battle weary and scarred, the mighty Arctic Wolf howled to the sky above. The hunt was hers.

* * *

The Imperator, Overlord-class dropship, was the massive home of the mercenary unit Angel's Fury's 4th company. Armed with an array of powerful weapons, and upgraded over decades of service, the Imperator was one of the two assault vehicles of the Angel's Fury. And commanding such power was company commander Alexandra Carter.

Boarding the mighty behemoth, she wandered its halls until she reached her quarters. It was nothing more than a modest loft. Decorating the room were a few books and picture frames of happier days gone by. Stepping through the door, she tossed the dossiers onto her bed; then lazily scanned her room before fondly looking at one particular frame.

Hanging above her bed was a graduation certificate from the Arc-Royal Combat Training program. Her name, Alexandra Shirayuri Carter, was written upon the certificate. A crowning achievement in her short life.

Her task completed, she stepped out of her room to make way to the galley. She hadn't even taken a step when she heard her name called.

She turned around, smiling lightly as her sister, Imperator Executive Officer Celina Carter, approached, while hooking her communicator to her vest. The sisters greeted one another affectionately with a hug.

Both shared the same sun kissed hair, each worn differently – Alexandra in a low pony tail, Celina in a side ponytail. Similarly they shared matching shades of azure eyes, and similar heart-shaped facial features. The proverbial poster girls of the company. Twenty-three and eighteen respectively, they helped form the core of the 4th company's leadership.

The sisters chatted amicably with one another while proceeding towards Alexandra's original destination. The topics range everywhere, from the matches, to the recruitment process, to how the other's day had gone.

Celina's expression became contemplative before addressing her elder sibling. "Alex, have you even _tried_ to enjoy Solaris?"

"Besides a few fast food joints, not really." Alexandra shrugged nonchalantly. She didn't care for pleasantries where there was work to do. "Considering we're here for another two weeks I have time… especially while that _boyfriend_," a word muttered with disdain, "of yours continues through the assault circuit."

Celina rolled her eyes, exasperated. It was a topic that plagued them nonstop since Alexandra returned from Arc Royale three years ago. From day one she did not approve their relationship. Tim Hayes, a 6'-6" blonde bear of a man, was a transferee from another company. From the moment they had met, Celina and Tim had had a budding relationship.

"I still don't like him," Alexandra muttered, trying to keep the disdain to a minimum. "You could do better than him." Though Alexandra made Tim's life a living hell, she respected Celina enough not to interfere with their relationship, despite her better judgement.

"Oh like I'm going to marry someone from the houses," Celina retorted with dramatic flair. "I can see it already, the lovely trophy wife of a Steiner. All pretty and primped up, paraded around like a showcase doll, but behind the scenes, an abused wife, demanded to provide an heir or bring harm to her family. Oh yeah; a very pleasant lifestyle you want for your baby sister." All of this was stated with a smile.

Alexandra sighed in frustration. Celina always had a smart mouth, spitting comebacks and comments like a fountain well before anyone could react. Combining with her intellect she could spar with the best of them. Whenever Celina was like this Alexandra would just throw her hands up in surrender and back away. Dealing with her sister was like dealing with a very wet and angry cat.

"Fine," she said, if only reluctantly. Celina smirked in victory, even if it was short-lived. Changing the subject, she continued. "What prospects do we have?"

Pulling out her noteputer Celina read through her files. "Marquette forwarded us some contracts, and says to head there ASAP to negotiate the contracts. He's also sending 2nd company."

"Right," the young captain muttered. Entering the galley they grabbed their meals and sat down. "Been a while since we've seen them." She shrugged noncommittally. "Anything else interesting I should know about?"

The 18-year-old read through her notes before shaking her head. "Not really." She put the device away when she remembered something. "Oh yeah, Thorsten and his boys are also competing. They'll be back sometime next week."

"And as long as they know they foot the repair bills, that's fine," Alexandra stated.

Just as she was about to start eating, Celina's communicated beeped. Hooking it to her ear, she responded. "Go ahead…alright, I'll tell her." Replacing the device on her vest she gave her sister a pleased expression. "We've got a bite."

"That's good," Alexandra said.

As they ate, Celina expressed curiosity to why Alexandra didn't post up recruitment ads.

Alexandra took a moment to think before answering. "I'd rather be…_selective_ of whom I pick this time around." Alexandra grimaced at the thought. Due to absolute stupidity, a couple of mercenaries almost had them killed during a mission. They had been summarily dismissed after that.

Her sister's expression was all she needed to know. "Oh yeah..._them_," Celina muttered in disgust, dismissing the thought like garbage. Angry was not sufficient to describe the fury that she felt that day. Rage was better, but it still lacked the emphasis to fully encompass what she felt. She promptly dropped the thought like hot coal and carried on eating.

The two sisters quietly passed the time, enjoying their meal while talking about anything that came to mind. They eventually bid each other goodnight. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

The following morning greeted the sister's like any other Solaris morning: the faint stench of ozone and exhaust, the heat waste from every machine in the city, and the never ending life that was Solaris.

They travelled silently through the deafening cacophony of the Solaris population, massed people milling the streets struggling towards their own destinations, with little to no regard if they bumped another hapless pedestrian in their way. It was a jungle unto itself. It was the survival of the fittest. Weather the storm or be swept by the crowd.

To them, the crowd was like nothing. They navigated through it all, side-stepping, weaving, dodging; they walked through with practiced ease, never once breaking their stride or balance; like fish through water.

Their travels led them to The Diner situated just off from the mainstream traffic. The building itself was nondescript. Away from prying eyes but not too far from the vein, it was the perfect place to have an interview. It was clean, it didn't stink, and not even a single speck of dirt was out of place.

The waitresses wore clean uniforms and were presentable. Make-up neatly applied instead of slathered, they wore pleasant smiles as they greeted the two sisters as they entered. Not a single customer present was overly greasy or soiled, nor did the fowl stench of human effluence dominate the space. While not high class, it was respectable.

Settling down in a booth in the far corner, they ordered coffee to start. Their booth provided the perfect balance of privacy and comfort. In the open and well lit, it allowed both parties to be observed but unheard over private matters.

The bell rang. Another customer. But in an instant everything changed.

Her dominating presence owned the room, drawing stares of adoration and lust as they realized who just walked in. Jasmine Chang, the Thunder Goddess. She casually scanned the scene like a predator surveying her choice of prey. She smiled lightly to herself. She found what she seeks.

She approached them silently, gracefully. One foot in front of the other, she calmly approached, hearing a light conversation between them, passing by the time until her arrival. She already knew who they were. It wasn't news to her that the Angel's Fury was recruiting. The fact they wanted her though intrigued her.

Without even a word she sat down in front them, grinning they looked at her befuddled by her action. She chuckled amusedly to herself. She'd heard rumours that they looked like they'd been carved from the same stone. Seeing them before her, she could say they were true. Despite their ages, she could see the similarities.

But something gave her pause as she looked over the elder one. There was a certain edge to her. Something she couldn't see in the other. She'd seen and experienced things the other never did. She had a confidence that dwarfed her younger sister's by leagues. And those eyes. Those eyes carried a history of facing and overcoming great adversity, becoming stronger because of it. She liked her already.

"What can I do for ya?" she greeted in an accented drawl.

Alexandra responded with a light grin, and said "Straight to it then." It wasn't a question.

"Why bother with that crap when we know what this is about?" Jasmine answered, while openly studying Alexandra's eyes. "So how about you show me the contract, and we work from there, Sunshine."

"Sunshine?"

"With that kinda personality, you're just a ray of sunshine, ya know?"

The elder Carter smirked, though said nothing as she slid a data pad across the table. One that Jasmine picked up and gave it a cursory glance. She grin shifted into a smirk.

Dropping it back onto the table, she stated her demand. "Thirty-thousand."

"Why?"

"Well that's quite simple actually," she said. "For one, I just kicked a heavy's ass, in a medium. For second, I'm the best damn brawler there is. Gimme a mech, I show ya its best config for beating the crap outta people. Simple as that."

"So you're telling me…is that you suck at range."

"Damn strai – what?"

"You brawl, that means you rely on close combat." She didn't miss the look of surprise and bewilderment. Jasmine had definitely not expected that line of thought. "A useful skill, but if I'm going to hire someone who can't shoot worth crap over 200m, I'd say that affect the price, wouldn't you?"

Jasmine eyed her carefully, her mind mulling over the exchange. Admittedly she hadn't expected that particular comeback. Her standard pitch usually worked for most, but then she reminded herself this was a different animal. She knew that particular approach wouldn't have sailed with the likes of the Legion or the Dragoons. She shouldn't have expected any less. Especially not the daughter of the late Kigiku Carter.

"Alright, ya got me there." She was willing to admit she was wrong. "So how about this then: twenty-two-thousand. A bit steep…but it does take into account of my…_gunnery_ skills. How's that sound?"

"Realistically, I'd say the price I'm offering you is reasonable for what I'm getting."

The champion chuckled wryly at the woman across the table. There was far more to her than meets the eye. Quick mind, sharp-witted, and a tongue that could argue with the best of them, she was definitely driving a hard bargain. One that she begrudgingly respected.

"Alright, I can see that yer not willing ta drop the price." She leaned upon her elbows and looked at her dead in the eye. "But I still want something more outta this."

"And what exactly did you expect?" Now she was curious. Considering what she offered was a lot more than most, she knew it was going to be something outlandish.

Jasmine licked her lips suggestively and said, "Make it worth my while." Her smile grew impossibly wider.

"Care to…elaborate on that?"

She shrugged casually. "Just make this 3-year stint worth it. I mean considering ya want me ta sign away 3 years of my life, I need something a little more…impressive, than just money and coverage."

Alexandra studied her opponent carefully, for a time. She knew she was interested in her. So was she. Her heart raced in anticipation for what would happen next. She signalled her sister to leave for a moment. She wanted to deal with this privately.

She leaned forward on the table and asked, "What else could I possibly offer than what's on that contract?"

Jasmine smiled seductively as she her eyes roamed along Alexandra more openly. She was doing the same. "I have…a few ideas."

"Perhaps…at a pay cut." Jasmine stopped smiling and raised a brow in response. "I happen to know that many would jump on this, at a fraction of the pay. I might add this contract is quite accommodating. Besides," she leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "I don't think you could handle me." She relaxed back into her seat as Celina returned. "I'm sure I could find someone better for less."

Jasmine scoffed. She knew the game. She knew what Alexandra was getting at. But quite frankly, she wasn't going to fall into her trap. She was better than that.

"I'm sorry ya feel that way," she sighed as she stood. "I'm sure you would've…_benefitted_ from a slightly higher expense." Walking away, she gently brushed her hand along Alexandra's shoulder, winking at her as she passed. She continued grinning as she walked through the diner, fully aware that everyone was looking at her. Right until she exited through the door.

"What…what just happened?" Celina asked, unsure of what transpired.

Alexandra shrugged in response, putting away Jasmine's paperwork and pulled out Kasumi's. There was nothing to say.

Celina tried to speak again, but one look from her sister stopped any arguments she may have raised, just moments before Kasumi arrived.

The first thing she noticed was the outlandish colour of her hair: platinum-white. Reaching down to her waist, she wondered just how much dye Kasumi went through to keep its colour. Combined with her pale skin, she wondered if she was a mythological snow demon.

Alexandra, however, didn't seem the least bit curious. She immediately picked up the data pad and handed it over for Kasumi to read. She watched her from across the table, curious as to what sort of person she was dealing with. But to her surprise Kasumi was difficult read. Even as she read through the contents of the screen, there was no hint of thought or emotion.

She eventually looked back up. "Quite an impressive offer. One of the best to date." The sisters strained to hear what she had said. She spoke so silently, barely above a whisper.

"Best to date?" she repeated, peering over her cup. That meant others had approached her already. The thought didn't sit well with her.

The platinum-haired woman nodded, and explained she'd been spoken to seven times prior. Putting down the pad she said, "I will have my answer tomorrow."

"That's the best we can ask," Alexandra sighed. They stood up and shook hands, exchanging minor pleasantries before Kasumi left as quietly as she had entered.

The sisters sat down again, where Celina immediately asked her sister, "So just what was that about?"

"Pardon me?" her elder asked. And she had been hoping to mull over her thoughts and observations. "That talk with Jasmine," Celina answered, still bewildered by the earlier display. "I haven't seen you behave like that with _anyone_!"

She held up her cup to hide the smirk across her lips.

Jasmine was beautiful. No other word could really describe her thoughts of the tanned woman. Curves in the right places, a messy mane of dark brown, she had no doubt that had Jasmine been trying, they'd be in bed right now. She had also noticed how Celina glared at the taller woman's chest. No doubt jealous of the differences of endowment.

Her discussion with Jasmine had been _interesting_ to say the least. She could easily see her game plan. Jasmine intrigued her. It was also surprisingly enjoyable to meet someone whom she could match wits with, albeit the developing undertone was a surprise, even to her. She had a feeling that if they were to meet again, it only go on and on until one snapped under the pressure.

She set down her cup, and looked at Celina dead in the eye and said, "That's because she's not just anyone."


	2. Chapter 2

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter II**

The following day that afternoon, Alexandra entered one of three mech bays of the Imperator, and silently watched as crews guided a Hatchetman in. She didn't stay long before ascending the catwalks towards her own machine.

Docked in one of the six cubicles was her enormous 90-ton Clan Mad Cat Mk2. A powerful monstrosity of the Clans, it slumbered as technicians scurried about. Its imposing shape, iconic bullet-nose, large missile racks, and arm mounted gauss rifles; the Mk2 was a monster on the battlefield. And her personal machine.

She surveyed it, marvelling the seamless repairs. It looked brand new, like the day it was first refurbished, including a new paintjob: white and green accents. She reached out, gently caressing the pink lotus painted on either sides of the nose, smiling fondly at the insignia.

It was the insignia originally painted on her Albatross, an inheritance from their late mother. She'd been devastated when her chief mechanic declared the mech a total loss; far too expensive to repair. Even so, neither she nor Celina were willing to part with such a treasure. So it was decided to mothball it.

"I wonder how you would've felt about that," Alexandra muttered. She thought of mother, recalling the woman who helped shaped her into who she was today. They hardly remembered her father. She could only remember his smile, and was the only person who could sweep her mother off her feet. He had died shortly after Celina was born. Their only memento was his hair and eyes.

Piloting the Albatross, she always felt her mother's presence while in that chair. She hadn't felt that way since she started using the Mad Cat. She hoped emblazon it with her mother's insignia would allow it carry their mother's spirit.

She eventually put aside the memories. There were better times and places. Opening the canopy she climbed into the cockpit of her machine.

"How's it feel?" Alexandra looked up towards her chief mechanic, Jeremy Phantom. A tall black man in his forties, he was renowned for his thick afro that housed the unofficial company mascot, Squeak the 3rd the Gerbil. A grizzled veteran of many battles, he has fought with the company for many years.

Mechs were his life blood. He could look at one and know immediately how to fix it. Years of service have granted a unique familiarity of Inner Sphere and Clan technology, capable of taking parts from one machine and make it work on another. He was the man who took care of every single machine since the days of Alexandra's mother.

She paused to adjust the seating before grabbing the controls, testing the feel of the control surface. "Feels a bit different." With most of the control surface replaced, it was odd using an amalgamation of Clan and Inner Sphere technology again. "Are we ready for shakedown?"

"Engine's functioning and weapons charged," Jeremy answered, patting the nose for emphasis. "The rifle and racks aren't loaded, but I don't think you'll need to worry about that yet."

She nodded understandingly. "Alright, clear the way. I'm going out." She reached back grabbing the neurohelmet and pulled it on. She fiddled with the buckle until she heard it click, assured it was secured. Alarms screamed alerting crews to clear the way for her departure. Jeremy reached up and pulled the canopy down until it the latch clicked and hissed, signalling the life-support system pressurising the cockpit. Keying in the start-up, the display prompted for activation codes.

She punched in the commands, and waited until prompted for voice activation. "She, who walks through fire, does rise above all." Suddenly everything began to stir. Her neck tingled as the neurohelmet activated. Her level of awareness grew, suddenly feeling that she wasn't standing upright. Gyros whirred faster and faster drawing the machine to its full height. The engine built from a slow whir to a steady whirl as it powered the machine. The sleeping giant had awoken.

Lightly twitching her jaw, she activated the radio. "Old Man, this is Lightning radio check."

"Lightning, read you 5-by-5."

She nodded, mostly to herself. "Old Man, ready op." From her seat she watched Jeremy hold the microphone away while shouting across the way before he looked back at her.

"Lightning, you're clear."

She replied with a hand signal and then retook the controls. Her left hand eased the throttle forward as the Mk2 took its first step forward. From the moment it started moving she could feel the difference of controls.

The Albatross had been upgraded numerous times in its 10-year career, including the usage of salvaged Clan technology. It could survive fire fights with Clan machine and performed phenomenally against Inner Sphere mechs. But it could never compare to the construction and craftsmanship of a pure Clan mech. The Mk 2 was simply superior in every sense of the word. Balance, handling, accuracy, range, it stood atop everything she'd ever seen or pilot. She only wished the Albatross survived, so that she could pass it down to someone worthy.

Clearing the cubicle, she eased towards the exit ramp. Even at a slow walk the controls felt different, yet comfortably familiar. Accessing the control settings, she started to adjust her settings to compensate.

Stepping onto the tarmac, she guided the machine towards the designated zone where mechs could conduct test manoeuvres. Further down along was a weapons range. Increasing the throttle, she ran down the length of the strip, occasionally weaving in and out of imaginary obstructions, continuously recalibrating the controls as she ran.

"How is it?" Jeremy asked over the comm.

"She handles differently," she answered back.

"Considering the new parts," Joe commented, his voice conveyed the image of a wry smirk.

She hummed in agreement. Looking for parts had been difficult. Some were cannibalized from the Albatross. The rest had to be hunted down. And Jeremy made up the difference.

"Either way, this shouldn't be a problem," said Alexandra. She continued to wander through the track for some time, content to continue piloting again.

* * *

"Done!" Dropping her pen, Celina raised her arms triumphant against the bane of all desk jobs: paperwork. For such an accomplishment, an equally deserving reward was required. She quickly reorganised her desk, hooked her communicator to her vest, and left her office. She demanded lunch!

Although she was her sister's right-hand woman, she also held responsibilities as the ships executive officer. Two mutually exclusive positions, her duties often conflicted with one another, leading to times where Alexandra and the captain, Tanya, would argue with one another. She tried her best to appease both sides, but with a responsibility to the ship, she could only help her sister half the time. Sometimes command was not worth the price.

She stepped into the galley and headed straight for the counter and grabbed the special: spaghetti and meat sauce. Reward in hand she scanned the room to see whom she'd enjoy it with. Spotting someone she trotted over and joined Dang for lunch.

His real name was Timothy Coleman. Most called him Dang to avoid confusion with those who also went by the same name. A 34 year-old former Draconis Combine mechwarrior, he appeared like any typical Japanese soldier: buzz cut black hair, and a disciplined and indifferent expression. Above his left eye he sported a thin scar. The story, no one knew.

He was a member of Steinbock lance, a unit Alexandra had recruited following a bizarre incident all parties agreed to forget. Since then, the three of them plus their mechanic/truck driver worked for her. To date the blonde captain liked to say that they were the best investment she ever made.

Looking up from her food, Celina gave Dang a worried look. "You alright? You look really tired."

"Didn't get much sleep last night," the Asian man admitted, stifling back a yawn. "We stayed up really late. I came back because my mech needed work. I'll be heading out later this evening for my match." Stilted, and to the point, his method of speech tended to grate at people's nerves. Couldn't he just talk like a normal person?

"You should get some sleep."

His only answer was a nod. He was that tired. Finishing up his food, he bade Celina a good afternoon and walked away.

Left by her lonesome, Celina finished up her meal silently. She scanned the room, noting a few children eating with their parents. She sighed wistfully; saddened she couldn't join them on such joys anymore. She missed her mother. She fiddled with the two armbands on her arm. Gently running her hand across the top of the two, she wondered what life would've been like had she lived. No one should lose their parents. But it was a hazard given their lifestyles.

With nowhere to go for the time being, she decided to pay the hangar a visit. Hopefully she'd catch Alexandra finishing shakedown, and spend time with her. It'd been a while since they've done anything together.

At least that had been her plan before her communicator buzzed. Unhooking the device she placed it on her ear. "This is Stream, go ahead." As she listened, she started to frown disappointedly. "Give her the location, clearance. I'll let the commander know." She let out a bit of annoyed huff. Sadly work was work. Tapping a few buttons on her communicator, she radioed Alexandra. "Lightning, this is Stream."

She only had to wait a few moments before hearing her reply. "This is Lightning, go ahead."

"Kasumi accepted our offer," she answered, starting to make her way back towards her office. "I've already forwarded her our location, and permission to dock. I'm drawing her clearances now."

"Acknowledged, I'll wait for her arrival," Alexandra answered back.

She raised her hand to cut the line when she had a thought. "Oh are you doing anything later tonight?"

"Nothing, now that the matches are over. Why?"

"Great! Meet me at the 3rd airlock at 1900; wear regular clothes. I'll see you then." Cutting off the line before Alexandra could respond, she happily skipped towards her office. She loved that little aspect of radio communications.

* * *

Slowly approaching the massive Overlord dropship, the platinum-haired woman felt even more confident she made the best choice. Awe washed over her as she gazed at the Imperator. Towering over every other single ported dropship, it stood out with such regal air and dominance that dwarfed everything surrounding it like a king upon his golden throne.

She had spent a great deal of time contemplating, weighing the offers, comparing them against one another, slowly eliminating out the competition. With each additional offer eliminated, it became harder and harder to determine which was best. Before long she reduced to three. All high paying offers with had a variety of perks and bonuses that they were willing to offer.

In the end, she had chosen the Angel's Fury.

At a marginally lower pay, they offered an impressive maintenance package: complete and regular maintenance throughout her service, regular upgrades, full repairs for mission related damages, with some exceptions – excluding Solaris matches – an offer to repair her mech from damages incurred during her Solaris match, and, most important of all, ammo supplies.

Only two out of the 8 offers included ammo coverage. With relatively simple needs, it was a boon when someone would willingly provide her ammunition supplies, despite easily affording it. For her it also indicated what sort of money her employers made. No one would ever dare to offer ammo supplies so freely or recklessly.

The sight of the Imperator helped confirm she had made a good choice. Very few mercenaries could make enough money to afford one or two of these monstrosities.

Keying in the radio frequency she was given, she began her approach. "Imperator, this is Angel, requesting permission to board."

"Angel, this is Starlight, we have you on visual," an operator answered. "Proceed on your current path to the 3rd hangar. Commander Carter will meet you aboard."

"Acknowledge, Angel out," she replied before cutting the connection. Maintaining her course, she approached the Overlord as it lowered a ramp, slowly revealing the mech hangar hidden behind several layers of bulkhead and armour. She slowed to a walk as she neared and entered, following the directions of the crew on deck.

Receiving the all clear, she powered down her machine and dismounted. She looked up to see Alexandra approach.

"Welcome aboard."

"Commander Carter," Kasumi politely greeted.

"Glad to beat the competition," she commented remembering their earlier discussion.

"It offered a maximum gain at a reasonable price," she answered. Coming to full attention, she lightly bowed before the blonde and said, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Carter-san."

"Kochirakoso yoroshiku," the 23-year-old answered back, while politely nodding her head forward. She never did care for traditions or anything of the sort, but she respected it all the same, despites her mother's disappointment. As long as they could get the job done alive, that was what mattered.

"You speak Japanese," Kasumi commented in English.

"My mother was Japanese," Alexandra casually answered. "Mother spoke nothing but it to me, but I'm more conversational than formal. Wouldn't survive meeting those higher ups without embarrassing myself, or worse."

"Clearly," she answered thoughtfully. "Have I been assigned a room yet? I would like to put away my belongings."

"Yeah, it should be ready by now. Follow me," the commander answered, indicating with a nod of her head to follow.

Kasumi nodded, and pulled out a duffle bag from the back of her cockpit. "Your ship's impressive."

"The Imperator's one of the best ships in the fleet, bested only by its sister ship, Sovereign," Alexandra answered, pride clear in her tone. She was, after all, talking about the very ship she grew up on. "Been around longer than I have, and grew up on this ship."

"Then I assume you grew up with the company," Kasumi calmly stated.

"Yeah. My mother was the previous company commander." A bit of a forlorn smile graced her features before becoming impassive again as she continued. "She died about 8 years ago. I've been learning how to run this company since I was a kid, although I did spend 4 years at Arc-Royal. The same can be said about my sister, except the Arc-Royal part."

Kasumi nodded in understanding, her expression equally impassive.

"Some basic chain of command information you should know," she stated as they travelled through the ship. "I'm the company commander, but I don't run the ship. The captain is Tanya Nguyen, and the Captain of the Mechs is Samuel Hayes. And you already know my sister is the XO."

Kasumi again nodded, making a note to look up the appearances of these people.

They continued for some time in silence before stopping in front of a door. Pulling out a piece of paper, Alexandra keyed in a pin number and then handed the piece to Kasumi. "That's the key combination. There are signs to help you navigate around the ship. Get to know the rest of the other pilots when you can."

"Thank you, Commander Carter," Kasumi thanked, bowing slightly.

"I would like to get one thing straight," Alexandra stated directing a pointed glare at the Asian girl. "I could care less of who you were before today. You now work for me and this company. What I care is that you provide results and pull your weight. Failure to do so, and I release you from our contract. We clear?"

"Quite clear," the platinum-haired warrior answered. If she was affected by the statement, she showed no outward reaction towards it. "Good evening." Bowing again towards her new boss, she entered her room and closed the door.

The moment she stepped in, she liked her room. A desk, a bed, a couch and coffee table, and a built-in book shelf were the only furnishing. The bathroom was an equally simple setup sink built overtop a counter-top, a toilet, a bath/shower unit, and some built-in drawers. A bit indulgent as to make the room comfortable, but it was very simple. She liked it.

She smiled lightly to herself. "They take care of their people."


	3. Chapter 3

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter III**

The scene at the Victorio restaurant, famous for its 45 minute to one hour waits, was surprisingly empty. Baffling so considering most would have to book months prior to be guaranteed a seat. But with recent construction in the area, business dropped. But to the Carter sisters, the setting of peace and quiet was comforting. Neither had to deal with the buzz of customers, or worry about wrong orders or poorly prepared meals.

Sitting atop the supple leather seats, the siblings quietly spoke. "Quiet night," Celina commented, nursing the martini in her hand.

"Surprising," the elder deadpanned, downing a shot of tequila.

"Must you always be such a prude?" the younger groused. "C'mon, we barely hang out as is. Try to lighten up a little."

Alexandra said nothing to comment, despite the truth to those words. Aside from occasional meals or meetings, over the last six they hardly interacted. And when they did it was usually business related. With one or both on duty, it limited what they could say or do, especially considering their duty stations. The last contract had been particularly hard. Missions were back to back and Alexandra had been on regular deployment.

"You're right," she sighed, putting down her glass. "And…I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" she sneered, eyebrow raised in surprise and bewilderment. "You've been in combat for six months, and all you say is sorry?"

"What do you expect me to do?" she asked, taken aback by her sister's vehemence. They both _knew_ the lifestyle they grew up in. They were born and bred mercenaries, soldiers to the end. War was their life. How were they able to do anything else, when it was all they knew?

"Take more time off? Work aboard ship instead of deploying? How about actually keeping promises when you make them?" She continued on before Alexandra could speak. "Do you think I like sitting behind that console while you're out there fighting? I should be out there with you, fighting! At least I can–"

"Celina!" she yelled, slamming the table. "Stop it, you're making a scene." The girl clammed up suddenly very aware of everybody's gaze her, concerned by her outburst and behaviour. She smiled apologetically towards them before slowly sinking into her seat.

Alexandra sighed, smiling sympathetically to her. "I…I know it's hard for you to accept. And…I know you never really got over mother passing away. But you know I can't make those promises. I can't keep them, not with our lifestyle."

"But…but…"

She was immediately by her sister's side, pulling her into a hug. "I promised I'd do what I can to come back alive. And I'll continue to do so." One hand rose up and tucked Celina into the crook of her neck, cradling her. She assured her, whispering quietly into her ear, gently stroking the back of her head the way she remembered their mother did for them when they were upset. It seemed to help as Celina appeared calmer, and less likely to suddenly cry.

It was rare to see her behave like this. Alexandra had known for some time how the whole situation bothered her sister. She only wished that they had addressed this sooner. Or at least in private.

She lightly kissed Celina's temple, and whispered, "Never forget how much I love you. You're my sister. That's never going to change." Celina's answer was to hug her tightly and weep silently into her shoulder.

She could only sigh. Gazing out the window, she marvelled at the sight it provided. Overlooking the city, she could see some of the major city sites, including Solaris River.

When Celina finally pulled back and started to dry her face, an idea came to Alexandra. "Wanna explore a bit after dinner?"

* * *

The following day found members the Angel's Fury entrenched in the stands, eagerly discussing amongst themselves over one of their own.

"So boys, what you think of Dang's chances?" Tim, a 6'-6" giant of a man, Celina's lover, and Alexandra's bane, asked his compatriots to pass the time.

"Probably the usual," the man to Tim's right immediately answered. "He'll probably go in, kick ass, and then walk away like he always does."

"Not when you consider he's going against better pilots this time," another man to Tim's left pointed out while fiddling with his goatee. "Remember that this is one big-ass tournament, not just random spars."

"He's got a point there Pat," Tim pointed out with a grin.

To Tim's right sat Patrick Roberts, the Irish Hammer he liked to call them. Aptly named, the support technician/truck driver could hit like one and was as beefy. Of the four present, he was the smallest comparatively in size.

And to Tim's left sat Carson Addler. Standing 5'-8", he was a large and bald half-East Indian man. People hardly knew his past, and he never spoke of it.

"Timothy will do fine," said the fourth member of their party through his thick German accent. "He'll probably get roughed up, but these guys are pussies. All he has to do is keep out from where everyone else fighting and engage them one by one." The most experienced and the only one present with formal military training, Thorsten Rolf was Steinbock lance commander. A citizen of the Lyran Commonwealth, he stood at 5'10", and bore the atypical appearance of on from the Aryan race, in addition to his goatee.

Of the members of Steinbock lance, he was the massive tank of the group. With muscles upon muscles sprouting across his body, he was the proverbial 'brick shit-house'. A stark contrast to the royal nobles of that particular house.

When they all first met, Tim had thought it funny that their fourth member, Dang, was a twig of a man compared to the larger builds of the others. He quickly learned that it wasn't something to laugh about when people forgot about in him a barroom brawl.

Tim simply shrugged and gave the German man a non-committal response, "So you say."

Thorsten chuckled evilly in response. "You know I'm right."

"I just can't wait for my match tomorrow," Tim groaned morosely. Taking off his bandana he threaded his fingers through his straw-coloured hair. It felt particularly greasy. "I haven't had a shower in a while, and I haven't seen Celina for days."

"Dude, the hell you complaining about?" Carson exclaimed in confusion. "I mean c'mon, we all live on the same damn dropship for crying out loud! It's not like she decided to accept a scholarship and go to school."

"Hey, you'll know what I mean when you find a girl of your own," Tim retorted back with a cheeky grin. "Besides don't forget what kinda people we are. For all we know, I could die during tomorrow's match. Remember that Loki getting killed by that Axman's axe after winning? Personally I would hate to go out like that, but hey, it might happen."

Carson let the thought mull over before rolling his eyes and reluctantly agreement. But then he said, "But you still sound like a pussy. It's unbecoming."

"Now you're sounding like Alexandra," Tim teased.

"Hey, we think alike," he argued. It was true. Pragmatic, and to the point. It was a lifestyle they preferred and enjoyed.

"That's actually kinda scary," Tim stated fearfully. It was bad enough he dealt with Alexandra's ire regularly. He shuddered at the thought Carson acting and talking like Alexandra.

"You're just saying that because she hates ya," Thorsten called out, chuckling at the giant's expense.

"I can't help it, I can't exactly do anything about it," he answered. "Celina would kill me!"

"Weak," Patrick teased in a jokingly condescending manner. "You're afraid of your woman because you're afraid you won't get some."

"Hey, at least mine's free. Unlike _somebody_ who has to pay," Tim shot back with a wide grin.

"Dude, that's harsh," Patrick exclaimed, clutching his chest feigning pain. "That was through the heart man!"

"Admit it man," Tim pressed on, "you're 23, and you're still single. Why don't you find yourself a nice woman and hook up with her. You're not getting any younger."

"Well unlike _someone_, the hell is she going to stay?" Patrick intelligently countered, to everyone's surprise. "I don't have a permanent home, or an extended contract." Noticing the look of surprise from everyone, he hotly added, "Hey, I'm not _that_ dumb."

"I don't know Pat, I've seen and heard some dumb things coming from ya," Tim teased, struggling to hold back his mirth.

Patrick's response was to punch Tim's shoulder, "Asshole."

"Hey, not our fault you can be quite dull at times," Carson egged on with a smirk of his own.

"But, I could put in a word for ya," Tim immediately offered in regards to Patrick's surprisingly intelligent comment from earlier. "Maybe Celina can come up with something."

"Nah, we're good," Carson answered for Patrick, waving off the offer. "Don't ask for that sort of stuff. If Alexandra thinks we deserve it she'll offer."

"Okay, your loss," Tim sighed as the buzzer rang. Settling into his seat, he watched as the gates opened, releasing the mechs into the ring.

From the gates the mechs marched on, including Dang's Hatchetman. In its hand, it sported a katana: the trademark weapon of all Draconis Combine variant of the machine.

Fanfare echoed across the stadium as the announcer introduced the combatants. From their seats they surveyed the competition, noting a few pilots of interest. Overall none of them could hold a candle to Dang. They looked one another, sharing the same grin. This was going to be fun to watch.

It was hot. It was unbearably hot. So hot that the ring radiated with heat, shrouding the mechs in an ethereal glow. Coolants were primed and ready. But in a ring where no body of water was present and temperatures well beyond conditions, coolant was a precious commodity.

And like every other Solaris match, past, present, and future, they would always start and end with a bang.

The bell rang.

The match commenced.

With no regard for tactics or strategy, young pilots surged forward in a blaze of glory for their miniscule chance for glory. New to the fires of battle, they charged headlong, unleashing devastating fire power upon their foes. Cascading beams of ruby, emerald, and sapphire lanced out, while missiles swarmed ahead like piranhas. At closer ranges, ballistics thundered and roared striking with hammering force. Strike by strike, plate after plate of armour flew off in chunks or globs of molten slag.

Outside the mass, veterans of many battles picked and chose their battles. Taking opportunities as they came, they attacked their foes from afar, or struck their prey like a reaper. It was here where Dang utterly dominated.

In his cockpit he smiled as he launched a hail of missiles upon his latest victim, smirking as the attack smashed through the head armour, cleanly knocking over his target. His systems marked it as a kill as the buzzer rang. Instincts flared as he slammed both feet down, vaulting his mech upwards, narrowly dodging a PPC to his back.

Smiling to himself, he turned his mech around as it descended, slamming his throttle to full tilt as he landed. The Panther had just raised his arm when it suddenly was relived of its PPC as a hail of missiles tore away its armour like acid. Dang pressed on the attack and fired his lasers, and watched with satisfaction as the pilot panicked and ejected.

In his wake, he left behind a path of destruction. Like a hot knife through butter, he cut through the foe. Though the return fire was as destructive, he persevered and dominated. Nobody was safe from his blade.

As the last machine fell, his dominance was secure. He turned his attention inward.

All was going well for the center. One by one, their opponents fell. One of them was going to become the champion. One of them would rule the ring.

The central ring was an absolute war of attrition. Alliances formed and broke, forever fluid like water. Nobody was safe from the other. Pride and money were on the line. No one would take away their prize. _Nobody_.

From a blindside Dang struck. His attack relieved his target of its arm as the blade jammed into the exposed torso. He wrenched his controls as the metal let out a satisfactory groan as his sword tore out coolant pipes to myomer bundles. Shredded plates of armour scattered around like blood from an opened wound. A punch followed to the back of its head, toppling over.

He doesn't even bother to ensure his kill as he turns his sights onto another and unleashes a hail of MRMs and pulse laser fire on the next target he could see.

Fists and legs entered the fight, punching and kicking whatever and whoever stood in their way. Amour continued to crumple as fists impacted, damaging delicate circuitry underneath. Billowing black smoke rose like dark spires as mechs started to burn. The herd was quickly thinning out.

Dang's Hatchetman had suffered its own share of battle damages, but pressed on forward regardless of its wounds. With his sword in hand, he swung down beheading an Uziel, while the other arm gunned a Shadow Cat down, tripping the machine as it neared. Preparing to finish the fallen mech, the Hatchetman suddenly lurches forward, tripping over the fallen Shadow Cat. The buzzer rings regardless, awarding the kill.

As he attempted to stand, the others converged upon like a swarm of bees, shredding away his armour and innards.

Forcing the machine upright, Dang turns towards the closest unit and swings down straight into the cockpit, ending the assault. Extracting the blade, he quickly moves on with his pulse weapons firing. With each shot stripping the last of the enemy's armour, his attacks starts boring into the engine. Entering striking range he lashes out, cutting down his enemy into submission.

Turning towards the last standing, he charged. Firing his jump jets, he narrowly flew over missile and laser fire, landing in front of his foe. With all his fury, he strikes it across the face, and with his sword arm up high, he swings cutting off the falling mech's arm at the elbow and jams into the torso. Wrenching the sword out it unearths an ungodly screech snapping the blade. Discarding the weapon, he reverses while firing pulse lasers into the exposed section of armour, peeling away into the vulnerable inner chassis.

As his distance grows, his opponent stands like a wounded animal, bleeding coolant and lubricant. As it gets to his feet, the machine falls over again, this time for good.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Tim exclaimed, emphasising with a fist pump.

In celebration of his victory, Dang raises his hand and calmly returns to his gate. Around him the crowd cheers and cheers. The bloodlust ran high as they chanted his name over and over again. The gods were appeased. The blood cravings sated. Mindless violence ravaged the field, and it was they, not the warriors, who reaped the benefits.

"See, just like I told ya," Patrick smugly stated. "He goes in, takes 'em all out, and leaves."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Alexandra stood on the upper catwalks of hangar three as Jasmine's armless Arctic Wolf entered, a large truck trailing behind. Still riddled with battle damage, Alexandra gained an appreciative understanding of how brutal Kasumi's assault had been.

Internal workings were exposed or outright destroyed, myomer bundles were snapped, she could even see into the chassis. The left shoulder was nothing but a massive hole; its right arm a large stump.

The truck behind probably contained all of the major parts from the mech, including the remains of the arms. Pushing off the railing, Alexandra headed towards Jasmine's docking station.

Last night had been an interesting affair. After dinner, they had decided to aimlessly wander the city a bit before hitting a bar.

* * *

Alexandra _hated_ crowds. She could easily navigate through one, thanks to the constant drilling of certain friends. On business she could easily ignore them. But on a casual evening like this with her sister, she felt extremely tense, absolutely ready for anything. The only thing keeping her calm was the fact she and Celina were walking hand-in-hand. Receiving repeated assuring squeezes helped a lot. Regardless, she still hated them.

They wandered the city for a while, aimlessly passing by multiple vendor stalls. They paid little to no heed to their cries. But occasionally they'd spare a glance, seeing what they had to offer, but eventually they would continue on.

They soon came across what looked to be a respectable establishment. Upon entering, however, their noses wrinkled as a pungent stench hit them. It took them a moment to realize that it was marijuana. Horrible music, poor lighting, booze and drugs, patrons of questionable backgrounds flashing toothy grins at them, this was not what they had expected.

"I think we made a wrong turn," Alexandra remarked, taking note of the danger in front of them.

Celina agreed wholeheartedly. "Let's take a look at what else is there." They turned to leave when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Hey babe," a drunkard thickly slurred. Celina nearly wretched when she smelled his breath, "Hows about you and me go out back and…have a good time?"

Alexandra tilted her head towards him and said, "I'd let go if I were you."

"And what are you going to do about it?" he growled, or attempted to.

"Oh it's not me," she casually answered, pointing her thumb towards Celina. It had been the hand that had held Celina. "She's the one you need to worry about."

He expressed confusion, suddenly doubling over in pain. One hand moved to clutch his stomach while the other was held tightly in the small girl's grip. Popping her foot out, Celina swept the man clean off his feet and threw him over her shoulder and out the door.

"Sorry, but I'm taken," Celina pleasantly answered. Dusting her hands, she turned back towards the other men who had been backing up the buffoon. "Anyone else want to try?" Sadly, someone answered her challenge. Drawing his knife, he roared and charged, taking a few steps before suddenly falling on his face.

From the shadows, Jasmine casually sauntered out into the light, a smirking on her lips as she spoke in her drawl. "Sorry babe, but don't ya know not to touch another man's woman? Now that's just rude." Sweeping over him, she stood in line with Celina and turned around.

"You gents really stupid enough to deal with the three of us?" Unfortunately, they were. Scattering, the three of them entered into a swirl of hand-to-hand.

Ducking underneath a wide punch, Celina's kicked her attacker's groin and grabbed his nose, slamming his face into her knee. Dropping down underneath another attacker's swing, she lashed out, striking his throat. Sidestepping, she trips another, snowballing into the crowd.

Instincts suddenly cry out as she lean to the side as a meaty arm just passes her head. Without thought she grabs it throwing him over her shoulder, right into the bartender who had just pulled out a shot gun.

Seeing the shotgun, she knew they overstayed their welcome. Bolting for the door, she grabbed Alexandra and ran. With Jasmine in tow, the three of them dashed through the crowd like fish through water, riding its wake like a surfboard. Ducking into an alleyway, they stopped assured that they weren't followed.

"Bloody 'ell," Jasmine panted with a wild grin. "You sure know to pick 'em Sunshine"

"Still with the sunshine?" the elder Carter asked, raising an eyebrow.

The raven head answered with a non-committal shrug. "Well you are just a wonderful ball of sunshine."

The blonde was silent for a few moments until she scoffed at the taller woman's comment, "Right."

"Nice moves back there." Jasmine chuckled as she thumbed towards the bar. "Definitely dun wanna get on your bad side."

Celina giggled and offered the taller woman a smile. "So what were you doing there?"

"Just turned down an offer when you and Sunshine walked in," she explained nodding towards the latter. "Bastard tried to pay me to sleep with 'im as well, the letch. Was gonna leave when I saw ya. Was actually gonna look for ya. Thought I might lend a hand since I was there."

"Well, we're here," said Alexandra. She smirked towards the taller woman. "And how can we be of service?"

Jasmine shifted her weight to one leg, her lips quirked in amusement. Eyeing Alexandra with that same feline stare, she answered. "Quite simple really: I've decided to accept your offer."

* * *

And that was how Alexandra found herself once again supervising the intake of another mercenary.

She hadn't been surprised Jasmine accepted the offer. She's known beforehand what contracts she would and wouldn't take. It was merely a matter of when it would happen. She smiled inwardly. Her cousin, once removed, often praised her for her forward and broad thinking.

When everything was agreed upon, Jasmine simply offered them one of her sassy smiles and calmly disappeared in the crowd, like a wild cat into the jungle.

Keeping a respectable distance away, Alexandra waited as the mech slowly backed into position.

Once docking was completed, the okay was given, signalling others on standby into action, immediately starting to prepare the mech for repairs as it powered down. The hatch released with audible hiss before Jasmine stepped out moments later.

Stepping out of her concealed position, Alexandra approached as Jasmine waited for her, a hand resting on her raised hip. "Welcome aboard," she greeted.

"Mornin' capt'n," she greeted back as her lips curled. "Like her?" thumbing towards her horribly beaten battlemech.

"Not much to look at," she answered, examining the machine. "I'm sure my boys can pretty her up again."

"That's what yer paying me the big bucks for." Jasmine's grin only widened further. She leaned against the rail, silently appraising the woman before her.

"Like what you see?" Alexandra smiled knowingly as she glanced towards the woman next to her.

Jasmine drew to her full height, and slowly approached her, one step after another. "Like what _you_ see?" She slowly reached out, gently tracing the contours of Alexandra's face.

The blonde lightly grinned before walking around Jasmine, and out of reach. "Where's the other?"

Jasmine smirked as she stared at the back of Alexandra's head. This was going to be interesting. "Down there," she answered, indicating towards the truck. "Prolly trying to get started." She joined the commander at the railings, overlooking the deck. She leaned over and screamed towards the truck. "Oi, Audrey, get up 'ere!"

"Is it important?"

"Yeah, boss wants ta meet ya!"

Jasmine leaned back and returned the grin. "Yer not afraid?"

"What's there to fear?" she asked, turning to face the taller woman. She eyed the tribal earpiece and necklace, curious to her background.

Jasmine's grin took on a feral feel as she spoke. "I can be…quite a handful."

"I'm sure you are." Alexandra returned the grin as she watched Audrey approach.

As she drew up next to Jasmine, Alexandra gave Audrey a momentarily once over. Her amber eyes held a maturity that belied her years, and she was shorter than Jasmine by about two heads. Yet she also had this air about her. Almost childish like.

"Boss, my sister Audrey," Jasmine happily introduced her, clapping her hands on the girl's shoulder. "Audrey, this is Sunshine that I was talking about."

"Audrey," she greeted, shaking her hand.

"Pleased to make yer acquaintance," Audrey greeted in an accent similar to Jasmine's.

"Alright I'd like to make thing one clear: this is my ship, therefore my rules," Alexandra adopted a more professional tone and stance. "On the deck, Jeremy," she thumbed towards him, "the man with the afro is the head engineer. While you work on his team, he's boss, therefore his rules. What I care is that you pull your weight. Do your job, you get paid."

Silence full upon them for a moment before Alexandra continued. "You'll be sharing a room on the crew deck. Audrey, you may go. Jasmine, follow me and I'll show you to your rooms."

Jasmine grabbed the small duffle bag in the cockpit and slung it over the shoulder. She lightly ruffled Audrey's auburn tresses. "Work your magic kid." The girl bade farewell to the both of them and skipped off towards the stairwell.

Turning back towards Alexandra, she extended her arm out with flourish and said, "After you, Sunshine."


	4. Chapter 4

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter IV**

Kasumi liked the quiet; especially early morning and late evenings. Hardly anyone was awake, except kitchen and night staff, granting her a great sense of peace and tranquility that she enjoyed. Quietly walking the silent halls with only the hum of the computer and electrical systems, she smiled to herself. She liked it when things were this way.

Stepping into the galley, she could smell the sweet aroma of breakfast fresh off the grill. She eyed the serving area where the staff waved her over. Kasumi did nothing at first, unsure of what to make of the older man's gesture, until she noticed the display of food. Nodding understanding, she approached the cook, who looked old enough to be her uncle, or her father.

"Mornin' lass," the man greeted. "What'll it be?"

Kasumi looked down at the spread before her, momentarily perusing the display before picking only the eggs and hash browns. Offering the man a curt nod, she turned towards the salad bar, and helped herself to a large plateful of fruits, and then grabbed a few drinks. Tray loaded with her morning meal, she wandered off towards a corner and sat down.

Clapping her hands together, she quietly whispered, "Itadakimasu," and started consuming her meal.

Yesterday had been a simple affair. Wake up, eat breakfast, started repairing her Marauder, explore the hangar decks, lunch, spent the afternoon in her room, dinner, explored more, bed. She'd conversed with a few of the crew, but mostly kept to herself. Today didn't seem to look any different.

From her seat, she watched the few crewmen mingle with one another. Most of them were pointless banters to pass the time as they ate. Early risers or night workers from what she gathered.

Thinking back to the previous morning, she remembered to her surprise the amount of children that were aboard ship. Especially yesterday morning when about halfway through breakfast, the door opened admitting a group of 5 to 9 year-old children clamoured in with their guardian in two, and were served breakfast like any other member of the crew. She had not expected that a massive warship such as this would house that many children.

After the initial surprise, her lunch and dinner experiences weren't as bad. She quickly became aware of the various families aboard ship, all of them being either bridge crew or technicians.

She also noted that the pilots on roster were not aboard, except herself, the commander, and Jasmine as of yesterday afternoon. She'd also observed that the aerospace fight bay was completely replaced for additional crew quarters, along with half the mech bays, explaining the larger crew compliment, and substantially larger team of engineers and technicians, and only 18-mech capacity.

Sensing a presence, Kasumi looked up to see Alexandra and Celina in front her with trays. "Good morning," she quietly greeted, lightly bowing her head.

"Mind if we join you?" Celina asked.

"Not at all," she replied. The two of them then sat down and began to eat as well. Looking from her food, she eyed them wearing a pair of matching ornate leather armbands. One black with gold embroidery, the other a simple double-layer zigzag design going around their arms. She wondered if they were from a certain clan she knew off, but then pushed the thought aside. It mattered little to her. They were simply her employers.

"How are you finding the ship?" Celina asked, curious as to her opinions and thoughts.

"It is impressive, to say the least," the platinum-haired woman answered. "I've noticed you've converted several hangars."

"The Imperator was refitted with the idea of extended missions," Alexandra answered. Looking up from her food, she explained a bit of the ship's history. "It was refitted about 20-some-odd years ago. They decided to drop the fighter bay, along with the 2nd, 4th, and 6th hangars and refit them into habitation and cargo space. Good thing too. Gave us room to upgrade the weapons recently."

"Still, it's a bit of a hard life from the get go," Celina commented, adding on to Alexandra's answer. "There's not much for children. The parents make due. Kids are happy as they can be. I suppose you can say we're all family in a way."

"Is it not strain on resources?" Kasumi inquired, a bit curious as to why they would give a warship the capability to house additional crew, and support children for that matter.

"Not particularly," Celina cheerily answered. "We make enough through contracts and ferrying. It's the same with the 2nd company, who uses the second Overlord. But they still have their fighter bay."

"A reasonable explanation" Kasumi said, her expression thoughtful.

Celina shrugged. "We're just good at what we do. We have a good name though. We might not be popular like the Gray Death Legion, Kell Hounds, or Wolf's Dragoons, but we're getting there.

"Give us a few more decades, and I'm sure our kids will be up there with the best of them." All this she said with great enthusiasm. Kasumi said nothing to this, save for a noncommittal nod.

"Don't get ahead of yourself now," said Alexandra.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny Alex," Celina playfully muttered, nudging her sister. "Just wait until you find yourself in love and dating. You'll see what I mean."

"Like that's going to happen," she returned, disregarding the notion as impossible. To that end, she wasn't particularly interested in finding someone, or settling down.

As the sisters continued to banter back and forth, Kasumi quietly watched. They were close, quite close actually. The way they went back and forth indicated a strong relationship between the two. But underlying it all, she noted a small schism between the two. Relatively minor, but it was there.

The reason she couldn't exactly tell. From what she could observe, there was something that Celina was doing that Alexandra didn't approved of, and it bothered the younger Carter. It was definitely a point of debate, based on that minor display where Celina momentarily displayed annoyance and displeasure in regards to her elder sister's comment.

One thing she prided in herself was her ability to read people. From a young age, she found she had a talent of reading people. From something as blatant as a particular facial twitch, to something as inconspicuous as a hand gesture. She could observe people and watch how they behaved – whether there were in a conversation, eating a meal, or how they carried themselves – and make logical assumptions of what sort of people they were.

To a degree, she could even observe a conversation and tell whether or not two people liked each other. It was a useful ability, one she exercised almost daily. To her, it was like reading a good book. She found a certain level of enjoyment just blending into the background and observe.

Cleaning up her tray, she clapped her hands together and whispered, "Gochisousama-deshita." She excused herself from the table, putting away her dishes away for the staff, and calmly left the galley. Watching that exchange between the two had been an interesting experience. It also gave her a better idea as to how her employer's mind worked.

* * *

Setting her toolbox down on the catwalk, Kasumi read the damage report. Specifically the gauss rifle. Her brows furrowed in concern. Some of the magnets were cracked, and several completely dislodged. Even a portion of the system was disconnected from the electrical mounts. She'd have to dig deep into the machine and physically restore those connections. Sighing to herself, she hoped that she wouldn't have to replace the whole weapon.

Putting the report aside, she climbed into her mech and started up the computers in diagnostic mode. Accessing the computer she started to run through a system by system check, going over what was still functioning, and what would need to be looked at. Clearing vital cockpit systems, she moved on to less important systems, satisfied with her readings.

"We missed anything?" Looking up to the source of the voice, Kasumi saw Jeremy lean against the cockpit frame, just as Squeak appeared from his afro and greeted her with a wave from its stubby paw.

"Pardon me?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"The Marauder," he elaborated. "Took a look at it. Some minor damage to life support systems. Had to replace your coolant system, but otherwise, cockpit's working fine. Been working on it since you left.

"Let us know if you need any help," said Jeremy with a nod and then walked away.

Looking out her window, Kasumi wondered how she had missed the crewmen who were going about fixing their machines. Setting her diagnostics to auto, she stepped out of the cockpit, grabbed her tools, and started work on her machine.

* * *

Partway into the late afternoon, the gate alarms rang as two of the bay doors opened. Looking up from her worked, Kasumi watched the machines thundered into the hangar. Three others disappeared around the corner, their foot falls reverberating through the deck as they boarded.

She surveyed the blue Sunder, noting the burn marks and armour breaches. It must've just recently returned from a match.

Her mind quickly pulled up the roster and concluded that Alexandra had enough battle ready mechs for two lances, give or take, under her command. But she must've just lacked enough pilots if she was hiring. Filing the thought away, she continued to work.

Working on the gauss rifle had been a nightmare. But at the same time, she was astounded how resilient her machine was. Leaning down, she grasped a damaged magnet and pulled. She heard the metal groan angrily in protest as it resisted. Bracing her foot, she pulled even harder, hearing it screech, toppling her over as she dislodged the component.

She lightly massaged the back of her head as she sat up. Regaining her bearings, she examined the component. She sighed tiredly as she tossed it aside, adding to the growing pile of parts she'd need to replace.

Stepping back onto the catwalk, she watched as crews locked the Sunder into its cubicle. Based on her count, they had 2 assault mechs, 2 heavy mechs, 2 mediums, and 2 Pumas light mechs that had no pilots. Descent force by any standard.

Picking up a rag, she wiped off some of the grease on her hands as she overlooked her mech. There was still a lot more work to do.

"We've really got our work cut out for us" Jeremy dryly commented, shaking his head as he examined the growing pile, nearly reaching his waist in height.

"We better finish it within two weeks," Jeremy muttered under his breath, examining the stripped Marauder. "I hate myself sometimes…it's gonna be a bitch fixing all this." Kasumi nodded in agreement. "You took a hell of a beating. But nothing compared to that Wolf you trashed."

"It was a competition, after all," Kasumi deadpanned.

"Yeah…more work for me," Jeremy sourly stated, then waved towards the Sunder and towards the wall. "And I _still_ have to fix those damn things that just came back…"

Kasumi shrugged. She wondered how in the world such a person was the chief engineer, but again put the thought aside. It wasn't her business. Wiping away more grease, she figured she'd done enough for the day.

* * *

Stepping out of her office, the first thing Alexandra noticed was the noise. Dread and annoyance washed over her as she recognised whose voice it was. She'd know it anywhere. And it was louder than usual. That meant he had a big crowd around him telling some story.

It was one of the times she wished her office wasn't so close to the galley. She wasn't sure if Celina knew he was aboard yet, but she's probably going to run to him when she hears. Then an idea came to mind. With a sense of purpose and a hidden grin, she made her way towards the galley.

Entering, she saw Tim sat on a table while everyone else surrounded him, as he regaled a match he had fought in. With flourish he expressed his stories, colouring them with words and sounds for the children.

Enraptured, the children sat on the floors or laps of their parents with their eyes wide, hanging on to every word he uttered. At least he was good for that.

Surveying the galley, she noticed Kasumi quietly observing from the rear, while Jasmine and Audrey sat near the front listening. Clearing her expression, she strode up and placed her hand on Tim's shoulder. And sure enough, he jumped mid sentence, and very slowly turned around.

"Hey there," he warily greeted, not liking the particular grin that she was sporting.

"Had fun?" she asked in an eerily pleasant voice.

"Uh, yes?" he awkwardly answered, not daring to break eye contact.

"So much fun that you forgot about Celina?" she asked. "That you left her alone, depressed, and annoyed, that you'd spend more time playing your games, drinking with your buddies, and sleeping in hotels, instead of with her? Is that the sort of man that's dating my sister? The so-called 'Hero' who'd protect her?"

"Well...I...that is...oh boy..."

"Oh boy indeed," Alexandra pressed on, poking him hard in the chest. "Just who do you think you are leaving Celina like that? Huh? You think I can trust you if you're gallivanting like that? Do you?"

"Look, Alex, I didn't think-"

"That's right, you didn't think," she interrupted. "And what did I say about calling me that?" Grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt, she pulled the man down until their noses were almost touching. It would've been comical, a 5'-10" woman pulling down on a 6'-6" man, if she weren't trying to kill him.

"I think I've made my point, don't you think?" she asked in a deadly whisper, but everyone heard it. Tim could only nod, absolutely fearful for his life.

"Now, here's what I want you to do," she calmly instructed; her eyes boring deep into his for emphasis. "You're going to march to my sister's office, go on your knees, and apologise to her. Is that understood?" Again, he simply nodded. "Then march," she commanded, letting him go with a light shove. Tim immediately bolted out the door towards Celina's office. Turning her attention towards the crew, she smirked and said, "Jeremy, keep'em under wraps."

"Aye ma'am," he chortled. "Alright everyone, break it up," he ordered as he started to clear the crowd. "Show's over now, there's nothing left to see."

Stepping out into the corridor, she closed the door and quickly followed after Tim. She didn't travel far before seeing Tim suddenly drop to his knees in front of a very perplexed Celina, who had probably intended to leap into his arms.

"I'm very sorry!" he suddenly cried out, his humbled form laced with regret. "I didn't mean to leave you alone! Things just came up! I swear to you that I didn't sleep with any woman! You're the only woman I'll ever be with! I swear to you! So please, forgive me!"

"Wait…what? Tim, what are you talking about?" Celina was very, _very_, confused.

"Your sister told me that you pissed with me," he immediately explained, having yet to look up to see the confusion that was etched across her face.

"Well it's true I missed you," she slowly admitted. Disappointment was evident in her voice. But regardless she was still clueless to why Tim was behaving this way. "But I'm not angry or anything. You're just having fun with the guys."

"But Alexandra said-"

"Wait…you said my sister told you I was unhappy?"

"Yeah…"

She looked up to see Alexandra stand there. Realization dawned on her as she started to laugh. She pointed behind Tim while trying to contain her mirth. "Look behind you."

Confused, he looked up and behind, where leaned against the bulkhead with a smug grin on her face.

"Wait…are you saying that that was…was a…"

"A very funny practical joke," Alexandra flatly answered amused. "Couldn't resist, what with all the noise you were making." Pushing off, she threw a glare towards Tim threatening his manhood if they did anything in the hall. She then turned around and went back into the galley.

Slowly getting up, it took Tim a few moments to realize what happened. "Am I that drunk?" he warily asked. "Did I just fall for a practical joke…by your _sister_?"

"Clearly," Celina answered, amused by the fact her sister even played one, even if it was mean. "Just because she's like she is, doesn't mean she doesn't have a sense of humour."

"A twisted one," Tim commented sourly, still trying to recover his wits. "I'm going to have nightmares over this one."

"Now you're being silly," Celina chuckled. She grabbed Tim's hand and started to pull him back towards the galley. "C'mon, let's get dinner. You can tell me about your adventures then."

"That's what started this whole thing," he groaned.

* * *

The predawn air was nice; cool, crisp, and clean. For Solaris anyways. High above the smoke and smog, Alexandra quietly enjoyed coffee while gazing at the horizon beyond. Here above the noise and pollution of Solaris, she could sit and enjoy the view and tranquility the sight brought her. Located on the outdoor patio of a coffee shop, she waited for the sunrise.

Placing down the cup, she stared out towards the mountains, remembering photos of mountain ranges her parents had taken from the planet she was born on. She had no memory of it save for those photos. They'd only spent a short while there before moving on with their lives. Such was the life of a mercenary.

"So what brings you out here at this hour Sunshine?" She needn't turn around to recognise that drawl.

"Still calling me that?" she asked, calling over her shoulder.

"I still think it suits you," the raven haired woman opined. She sauntered up next to the young commander. That grin of hers had yet to leave.

"I could easily call you Amazon."

"Yeah…but it doesn't have that same ring, ya know?" She chuckled as she watched Alexandra's eyes roll. "So, what ya doin' 'ere?"

"And you?" she returned, while indicating to the seat next to her.

"Don't mind if I do." Pulling out the chair, she slowly sat down, mindful to accent her hips and chest. "I come 'ere to enjoy the sunrise."

The flaxen-haired woman chuckled as she drank. She didn't have to answer right away. It was her time, and she could easily ask her to leave. Even if Jasmine did wait for her expectantly.

But she eventually decided to answer. "Same reason as you."

"_Finally_, someone who actually appreciates a good sunrise!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air. "Enjoys one of nature's greatest gifts! Not that crap down there!"

Alexandra nodded in agreement. "Humans on the whole prefer the new and exciting. Not the mundane and common."

"Twits, that's what they are," she drawled, setting down her cup. She stood up, suddenly riled up. "Hard ta enjoy something that can be seen on any planet, eh?"

"And yet…it's always different. Even on the same planet." Alexandra slowly sipped her coffee, savouring its flavour, while enjoying a completely different view. She was extraordinarily beautiful. She held a confidence not often seen in people. She liked that aspect of her.

"Like what ya see?" Jasmine looked over her shoulder with a knowing smirk.

Alexandra shrugged indifferently. It wasn't her business to know.

"That's fine if you dun wanna answer," she said, accepting the silence. "But, I know I'm liking what I'm seeing.

"So you say…"

Jasmine slowly approached, and leaned forward until she was merely a hair's breadth from Alexandra. "You know what I think?"

Alexandra raised a thin brow.

"I think you're sexy." Without warning she leaned in, planting a light kiss before pulling away. "And I plan to make you mine."

"Did you just…" she asked, as she lightly touched her lips.

Jasmine grinned at her. "Damn straight."

Letting out a sigh, she leaned back into her seat, slowly sipping her coffee as she looked over the rim of her cup. She couldn't help but grin. "You can certainly try." The game was afoot.


	5. Chapter 5

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter V**

From where she stood behind the captain's chair, Alexandra could see everything. Towering high above the rest of the port, she could see the various ships scattered across the tarmac, and beyond the Solaris City. Clear azure sky with no cloud in the sky, it was a perfect day for a launch. Hands on her hips, she stood in the eye of the swirling storm of chatter and frantic work as the bridge crew worked, coordinating with all decks before launch.

She glanced at the captain – Tanya Nguyen, a red-headed quarter-Vietnamese woman – as she walked her bridge, snapping off orders and commands as she made sure everything aboard her ship was ready to go.

Alexandra then looked towards her sister, who was presently accompanying the captain, assisting her with coordinating the activity. She sighed to herself as her mind wandered.

The last week and a half revolved mostly around rearming, refuelling, resupplying, and repairing, much to Alexandra's consternation. At the very least everyone who damaged their mechs in Solaris matches paid for their own repair work, giving Jeremy the much needed time and manpower to repair the Marauder and Arctic Wolf.

She remembered the look on his face when he thought he'd have to fix a total of 6 battlemechs in two weeks. She'd hated to see how he'd react if he had to.

Kasumi, for the most part kept to herself, seen mostly in the galley during meal times, or in the hangar assisting Jeremy's crew going over the repairs of the massive Marauder. Otherwise the most people would usually see were either a shadow of her or a flash of platinum. To that degree, much of the crew wondered if Kasumi was hired on or was a bizarre figment of everyone's imagination. If it weren't for her Marauder in the hangar and being on the crew manifest, she would've most likely passed off as some massive ship wide hoax.

Audrey had been a pleasant addition to the mechanical crew. Hardworking, efficient, friendly, easy to get along with, Jeremy praised her to the heavens, raving how much of a natural genius she was. Within a few days, Jeremy placed Audrey in control of the repair schedules for the Marauder and Arctic Wolf. Under her leadership and Jeremy's guidance repairs were completed within record time, and were ready for combat once again.

Her work quickly earned the respect and admiration of her peers. She befriended Squeak, who made a home out of her shoulder if he wasn't in Jeremy's hair, and earned the position as Jeremy's second in the eyes of the repair crews. Her first assignment was chief of hangar 3, with senior technicians to watch and observe her.

Jasmine on the other hand was becoming one of the most interesting people Alexandra had ever met. Sociable, intelligent, attractive, role model, she was becoming just as popular as Tim. Once or twice she saw Jasmine in the galley with members of the crew regaling adventures and battles on Solaris; how she used to be a big-name competitor in the assault circuit (for 2 or 3 some-odd years) before dropping down two weight-classes and picked up the Arctic Wolf.

From what Alexandra could gather everyone liked her just fine. And surprisingly, the woman could handle children quite easily. She smiled to herself remembering what happened last week.

* * *

Alexandra sighed languidly as she placed down the last of the data pads containing reports. She hated administrative work, but they rarely hired anyone for such duties. What she hated more was how it always rapidly piled up when left alone.

Stepping out of her office, she headed for the galley with a thermos in hand. Entering, she noted in mild surprise Jasmine walking away from the kitchen with a large basket of fresh fruits.

"Sunshine," she greeted Alexandra as they walked past.

Alexandra immediately closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. There was no need to get angry. There was no need at all. Opening her eyes, she glanced down towards the basket and asked of the contents.

Jasmine stopped and turned around to answer. "Just something for the kids," she jovially answered with that perpetual grin of hers.

Alexandra raised a brow, confused. "Kids?"

"Ya know, the kids aboard the ship," she answered in her usual drawl. "The kids of your crew?"

It took a moment before the light clicked in Alexandra mind. "You're babysitting the kids?" she asked, to which Jasmine responded by grinning. "What happened to the babysitters?"

"Still down there," the older woman responded waving her hand dismissively. "Just helping out. Kids are bored so I'd thought I'd get'em something to eat. Maybe share a few good stories. The usual."

"You good with kids?" Alexandra asked while pouring coffee into her thermos.

"Didn't think so, but apparently they like me," Jasmine said. She also noted her boss liked her coffee black.

"This, I need to see," Alexandra chortled. Capping her thermos, she followed Jasmine out. As they made their way to the nursery, a thought occurred. "I'm curious, how did get involved with the kids?"

"Funny story actually," Jasmine answered the company commander. "Was exploring a bit one day when one of 'em bumped into me. Turns out some of the older kids were bullying her. I set'em straight and all, and had a chat with their parents. Apparently I made quite an impression. Staff comes to me one day and asks me to help."

Alexandra hummed in understanding. "What did you do exactly?"

"Dun know," she answered scratching her cheek thoughtfully. "To tell ya the truth, all I did was talk to 'em, laid down the law, and spoke with their parents. Unless they see me as some sort of hero, I'm not sure."

Alexandra raised a brow. Jasmine must've done something that looked cool or amazing in the children's eyes. Perhaps she should ask the kids later. The moment the nursery hatch was opened, she narrowly sidestepped the wave of toddlers suddenly gathering around Jasmine legs, happily greeting her while trying to reach for the basket of fruit.

"Hey, hey now, take it easy," Jasmine quickly exclaimed, one hand trying to keep the children in line while the other held the basket up high and out of reach. "At least lemmie put this down before you take out my legs 'ere." The woman gently pushed them aside as she trapeze through the small crowd of children and set the basket down on a table. She quickly pulled out paper plates and set up a large spread of fruits, ranging from grapes to sliced watermelons.

"Alright kids, dig in," Jasmine happily declared as she stepped back. A good thing too for the moment she backed away the children crashed upon the table like a Grand Titan, and reached for their favourite treats. Some of the more well-mannered ones used the disposable plates, while others held whatever their little hands could gasp. The storm of reaching and grabbing lasted only for a few minutes before it suddenly stopped, leaving behind a table with considerably less fruit than before.

"Damn…fast little buggers aren't they?" Jasmine commented after a low whistle.

"Aunt Jasmine, Aunt Jasmine," a young boy cried out tugging the leg of her pants, "Tell us another stowie! Another stowie!"

Jasmine knelt down in front of the boy and ruffled the boy's hair. Grinning and winking at him, she stood up and grabbed a chair and brought it over to where a series of plush beanbags were laid out on the floor.

Placing the seat down, she dropped down and asked, "What do ya kids wanna 'ere?" Just like when they had competed for fruit, the room exploded into a hurricane of high-pitched yells and squeals as they all argued and fought one another for the right for their choice to be told.

From behind, Alexandra quietly watched the children argue with one another, while drinking her coffee. She felt a sense of melancholy befall her, wishing she hadn't been such a loner at their age.

Jasmine watched in amusement as the children argued with one another. Waving off the concern of the minders, she quietly pondered what sort of story to tell. What was there to tell to keep them entertained? She could regale in a battle, but even toned-down it was still short. There were a bunch of others, but none of them were child friendly.

"Cmdr, sing n' play for us! Sing n' play for us!" one of the children suddenly called out.

Alexandra nearly choked on her coffee when she heard the request. Recovering from the fit, she looked up towards Jasmine who was looking at her, bemused. To make things worse, two of the children ran into another room, returning a moment later with a large guitar case in their hands, placing the instrument down before her. Almost immediately the children turned their attention towards the blonde, cheerfully asking her to play.

She was stunned. She was at a loss for words. She looked up towards Jasmine who shrugged languidly, and looked at her with expression that said, 'Ball's in your court.'

As if to push it further, the children popped open the case and pushed it against her feet, while looking up at her with their puppy dog expressions, and continued to ask.

"C'mon now Sunshine, dun leave 'em in suspense, play us a couple songs," Jasmine called out, now curious as to what this was about.

Alexandra sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had only come down out of mild curiosity, not to entertain the children. And then she glanced down at the small crowd before her, all of them looking up hopefully at her. Sighing she relented with a light nod. She smiled in spite of herself as she listened to the children happily cheering. Picking up the guitar, she pulled up another chair and sat down beside Jasmine.

Tuning the guitar, she quickly put together a small playlist in her mind. Nodding once to herself, she took a deep breath before launching into her first song.

Jasmine watched as her boss played. Eyes closed, legs crossed to raise the guitar, expression relaxed, she watched as Alexandra's fret hand seemingly dance along the neck as her other hand strummed out a mix of highs and lows, long and short, powerful and gentle. She listened as the blonde tapped against the strings, pluck out notes, strum chords. She could see the stern expression relaxed as she nodded and tapped her feet to the beat.

She looked to be lost in a world of her own as she moved on from song after song, a light smile on her lips as she played. Jasmine glanced over towards the children. Most of them had reclined in their seats, enjoying the blissful joy of the music. Some had even fallen asleep as Alexandra continued to play.

Hearing her play, it was like listening to a melodious lullaby. Jasmine's smile widened when she heard Alexandra began to lightly muttered lyrics under her breath, all with a light grin that perpetuated as she played. There was no commander of the 4th company. No pilot. No Colonel. The stiffness in her shoulder, the set in her jaw, the hard expression she wore, all gone. Nothing. Just a young woman enjoying her time playing the guitar.

As she gently strummed out her final chord, she fully opened her eyes. "They fell asleep," she observed.

"Yup," Jasmine commented with a light grin.

Putting away the guitar, Alexandra nodded towards the staff which were laying blankets atop the younger children, or guiding the older children aside to do something else.

Picking up her thermos, she turned to Jasmine. "I'll leave the rest to you."

* * *

Over the past week, Jasmine quickly began the big sister for the children. Many of them aspired to be like her, and started to turn to her for some advice, especially the girls. Some of the crew commented how glad they were Jasmine had come aboard. She rarely left the ship nowadays – said after being on Solaris for so long, it lost its charm – spending her free time with the children, or working on her Arctic Wolf.

Alexandra occasionally heard things from the parents; great storyteller, fun, exciting, very nice, very pretty, and many others. She had toyed with the thought of what kind of a mother she'd be, but had then put the thought aside. Mech Warrior pilot wasn't an ideal job for a parent anyways, more so as mercenaries.

"Something wrong?" Celina asked, noticing Alexandra's far-off expression.

She shook her head. "Just a stray thought." Looking around the bridge, she asked, "How's everything?"

Celina looked down at the large data pad in her hand as she answered. "Another two hours before launch." Her hand moved across the screen, accessing and filing away reports one after another.

"Right," Alexandra muttered.

The captain suddenly approached Celina and clapped her shoulder. "Well, you have the bridge."

"Then where you going?" the young girl sputtered, bewildered and surprised.

"Much needed coffee break kiddo," Tanya answered with a light grin. Looking towards the company commander, she grinned and invited her to come along. To Celina's dismay, Alexandra accepted the invitation, and watched as the two of them leave the deck, closing the door with a resounding click.

"Rank does have its privileges," she muttered sourly under her breath. One day she'll be captain. They'll see. One of these days.

* * *

When the two of them stepped into the galley, Alexandra's hearing was suddenly overwhelmed by Tim's usually abundant energy and boisterous exclamations as he regaled whoever was present in a story. She felt a vein throb as she let out a restrained sigh.

Tanya grinned as she sympathetically patted Alexandra on the back. "Now, now, no need to kill your sister's beau." Her only response was a very strained nod as they entered.

"I'm not kidding, this guy was huge," Tim declared, waving his arms for emphasis. "Big as me but beefie. He comes barrelling down at me, and I'm thinking 'Aw shit this is gonna hurt,' and the next thing I know, Dang comes out of nowhere and trips the bastard."

"It's either that, or being paste on the wall," Dang flatly answered. "It was your fault to begin with."

"How was I supposed to know that mother joke was a really sensitive issue?" the large man retorted, trying to save what little dignity he suddenly had left.

Alexandra smiled, remembering the incident. "He did mention before you threw that joke at him that his mother passed away. Had you been paying attention you'd have realized it was a sensitive topic."

"I…that is…" he stuttered and stumbled as he tried to come up with a rebuttal. But under the combined humbling gazes of Alexandra and Dang, he crumbled and conceded with a sigh. "I guess you're right…I suppose it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be."

Carson clapped his hand upon Tim's shoulder and asked, in a manner a teacher would ask a student, "What have we learned?"

"Pay attention to what people say to avoid pissing them off," he droned, like a bored student giving the correct answer in hopes to end the class sooner.

"It was a nice try," Jasmine admitted from across the big lug, with an air of amusement, but more so towards his effort than the actual story. "Next time, try to remember one that doesn't involve you pissing someone off because you got careless. There's a difference ya know, being careless and stupid."

"How's that any different?" Alexandra asked raising an eyebrow. That was some strange logic she was hearing.

"Oh there's a difference alright." Jasmine leaned forward as she adopted an instructional tone. "Being careless is like what Tim 'ere did. Didn't pay attention, cracked off a lowbrow joke. That's being careless. Now stupid on the other hand, that's like tripping over your own feet because he's carrying so many beers that he ends up fallin' and spillin' all over someone. Then it just horribly spirals cuz the guy's angry as all hell. Now that's being stupid, and usually leads to hilarious stories."

Alexandra was dumbstruck. Twisted logic, but it actually made some sense. She had no idea how, but it just did. And then a thought crossed her mind.

"You know…that sounded rather in-depth," she slowly commented, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "If I didn't know better…I'd say that you've done something stupid."

"I uh…that is to say…I mean…" Jasmine stuttered as her eyes darted back and forth. She started to shrink into her seat from everyone's stare.

A knowing smirk began to form on Alexandra's lips as she leaned forward on her hands. Her cerulean eyes glowing with mirth, she stared back at Jasmine's emeralds and asked, "I'm right, aren't I? You spilled beer on some drunkard and started a bar fight."

"Hey, the bastard threw the first punch," Jasmine weakly defended, now suffering from trying to scrounge up what little dignity she had left. Sadly it amounted to very little as everyone had already started to chuckle at her expense. "I had to defend myself, and yeah it was my own damn fault for going by myself. Something I'll never do again I might add."

Silence settled on the table for a few moments while Alexandra smirked. Jasmine stared back up defiantly and opened her mouth to speak. "Like you said, you're damn fault," Alexandra repeated humorously slapping Jasmine's shoulder, cutting her off. Pushing off the table, she walked over towards the coffee stand and poured some coffee.

"More coffee eh?" Tim asked in surprise. He noticed that she didn't put anything else in it. "And quite black by the looks of it."

"Remember this morning?" Alexandra darkly muttered as she drank. She heard a reply from the big man and continued. "They weren't too happy when I booted them out. After…kindly asking them to leave, Tanya and I had to come up with a solution. Specifying schedules would be a hassle on everyone, especially the kitchen staff. So I came up with the next best thing: different areas for both the kids and the mercs." Her face grimaced over what happened afterwards as she sat down.

Tanya patted Alexandra sympathetically and picked up from there. "They didn't really appreciate what we told them. Told us to fuck ourselves. I pointed to the airlock. They didn't like it…but hey, it's my ship."

"Sounds like those bastards got what they asked for, eh?" Jasmine amusedly commented. "Personally would've just shot 'em. It's not like anyone's gonna miss 'em."

"Could've, but I'd like to make the money if possible," Alexandra sighed tiredly. "And I don't want an investigation on our asses either."

"Fuck 'em!" Jasmine exclaimed, slamming the table. "Just kill 'em and keep the money! We're mercenaries for fuck's sake!"

"Mercenaries who are regulated by the MRCB," Alexandra calmly replied. "I won't let the work of previous generations be destroyed because of an indiscretion."

Jasmine shook her head and threw her hands up in dismay. "Fine," she snapped slamming the table. "If that's how you want to do it, fine. Don't come crying to me if those kids get killed!" Without another word she stormed out of the mess.

Alexandra sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. A habit she picked up from her mother and cousin. "Damn it," she sighed under her breath. "I really didn't want to deal with that…"

The captain placed her hands upon the young woman's shoulders, gently easing the tension. "I know…I know…we do what we have to do to make money."

* * *

In the hangar, Jeremy watched as the crews finalized lockdown procedures: putting tools away, rolling cabinet-dollies into storage and locking them down, strapping mechs to their cubicles, stowing and securing loose parts, and properly storing and securing ammunitions.

Glancing at his clipboard, Jeremy read the list of procedures to be completed before takeoff. About another hour to go and things looked ahead of schedule. More time to double-check everything before sending everyone out. Some would monitor things here in the hangars, and everyone else would be strapped-in for the launch.

Turning to his new assistant, he asked her, "How's hangars 2 and 3?"

"Hangar 2 completed, and right now double-checking everything," Audrey answered reading her own clipboard. "Hangar 3's done, and they're helping Hangar 2. Should also be done in a few. Should I bring 'em here later or send 'em home?"

"Send them home," Jeremy answered waving the question away. They'd done enough, and deserved a break before launch. "You ready for takeoff?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," the short statured girl answered. She rolled her shoulders and neck trying to relieve some tension. "Haven't left Solaris for a long while."

"Always is nerve-wracking if you haven't done it for a while," Jeremy admitted and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You'll do fine. Just hang on tight and enjoy the ride. Kids usually get a kick out of it when they get over the noise."

"I have been meaning to ask, what's with all the kids?" Audrey asked expressing her curiosity and concern of children aboard ship.

The old engineer shrugged. "Been a norm since I signed on."

"Oh." Audrey looked at the older man weirdly, but then shrugged her shoulders. No point dwelling on it, she supposed.

"Well from what I understand, the original big man wanted his ships to be able to carry families. I guess it just stuck; what with all the refits and all."

The red-head nodded, seeing the reason in that. She had noticed that the ship had a far larger compliment than normal. About 100 or so, excluding the children.

"But…what happens when they grow up? Wouldn't they take space?"

To that Jeremy sighed languidly, and looked over to her sadly and said, "Our job usually balances that out." The comfortable atmosphere instantly chilled to his words. Audrey suddenly wished she could somehow just disappear for asking something quite sensitive.

"Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," Jeremy sighed, patting the girl's shoulder. "It's a hazard. Every mercenary has to learn that some time or another. Even kids."

* * *

Returning to the bridge, Alexandra and Tanya headed for their seats. Once the two of them were strapped down, Tanya turned to face Celina. "What's our status?"

"Secured and ready for launch," Celina reported from her station.

"Good," the red-head replied. "Alert the ship for launch."

"Aye captain." Accessing the intercom, she gave the alert. Everyone else who wasn't strapped down quickly made their way out, and into designated seating areas for the launch.

"Helm, once we're good to go, take off," Tanya ordered. Receiving an affirmative answer, she turned back to her XO. "Buzz the tower. We're heading out." Another affirmative and she turned her attention to another one of her bridge operators.

With a wide grin, she gave the order. "Chief, fire those engines."


	6. Chapter 6

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter VI**

"Damn those idiots!" Slamming the door shut, Alexandra briskly approached her desk and essentially ripped out a drawer, rifling through stacks paper and data pads before drawing out a small flask, popping the lid, and downed a heavy swig. She shuddered, feeling the alcohol burn down her throat. She braced her other hand on the desk.

She was angry. Furious. Pissed off. Livid. Enraged! There were just not enough words in the English language to describe the burning fury in her chest, or the desire to completely _maim_ those who sparked her anger. It was eating away at her, like a gnarled knot rooted right in the middle of her chest, choking her of every breath she tried to take.

Things were going so well. Everything had been going so well. They were just days away from touching down. Everything would've been alright. They would've been rid of these unruly passengers. And by some sheer force of horrendous luck, disaster just had to befall them; just HAD to befall them. She couldn't even fathom how this had happened.

She growled angrily as she collapsed into her chair. Was it too much to ask to have an uneventful voyage? She took another, smaller, swig of her drink. "Fuck my life."

* * *

The bridge was quiet. Crew went about their jobs, lightly conversing, trading stories or bantering about one thing or another. A quiet, peaceful, uneventful morning. Most were night shift waiting to be relieved for the day, ready for a good night's rest. Across the board everything was green. Nothing was amiss. All was steady.

In the captain's chair, Celina quietly watched her crew work. She barely suppressed a yawn as she blearily looked on ahead. She hated waking up this early. Sadly she lost the coin toss with the captain, and got with the morning shift. Maybe she could convince Alexandra to take the bridge later today to catch up on sleep.

"I hate early mornings," Celina mumbled to herself.

"Don't well all," someone answered, earning amused chuckles from everyone.

Even Celina cracked a tired smile. "I just want this to be over…"

"Want one of us to bring you breakfast later?" another operator offered.

The young XO smiled brightly. "That'd be awesome."

So far, the morning was going so well.

At least until she heard someone else say, "Kazuo, get your boy's down to the galley, we've got a brawl down there."

"Oh you're kidding me…" Celina moaned, burying her face into her hands. "What else can go wrong?"

* * *

Stepping into the galley, Alexandra's eyebrows shot up taking in what was happening.

Complete chaos.

Several people were fighting the lance of mercenaries they'd taken on providing passage. Damaged or destroyed tables, chairs, cutlery, and food littered the galley floor. In a corner the children huddled up, screaming and crying in fright as Tim tried to calm them, while Kasumi and Jasmine attempted to tend to the injured children.

Without a thought, her hand released the clasped to her holster and drew her auto pistol, and shot the ceiling. Everyone immediately stopped hearing the loud bang.

Re-holstering her weapon, she calmly, and very slowly, marched towards the brawlers. With each step she took, they could all hear a loud and commanding thump. She was not happy.

She very quietly gave the order for the children to be evacuated, but stated for the pilots to remain. Jasmine, Kasumi, and Tim stood from the small barricade, and approached Alexandra. The parents gathered up their children and left.

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking deep steady breaths as she tried to calm down. She could feel the throbbing in her temples subsiding, but it was still there. Slowly she opened her eyes, and began to calmly pace. Her hands were held behind in tight fists. Her boots thumped and thumped; each step thrumming with suppressed rage and anger.

Outwardly she looked no different than normal. Her expression was nothing but complete indifference. Everyone, however, began sweating bullets just watching her. Those who'd served long enough knew whose daughter she was. They knew she was livid. Absolutely so. Involving children was icing of the proverbial cake.

"Kasumi," she quietly and calmly called. But to them, it may as well been a gunshot. She turned to face the woman who very slightly winced. "What exactly happened?"

Kasumi opened her mouth to say something but then reconsidered. She paused a moment before deciding to tell an abridged version. "One of the children unfortunately violated the established meal-hour rules." Everyone shifted uncomfortably at her clinical and dispassionate tone. The mercenaries were similarly apprehensive, looking at her awkwardly.

"Our guests did not take too kindly to the violation," she continued on in that same drone. "The mother attempted to retrieve her. Unfortunately words were exchanged. Other crewmen attempted to take control, but the situation destabilized further erupting into the altercation. More children were caught in between before we were able to isolate them. We contacted security, and then tended to the children. Then you arrived. The rest was as you witnessed."

"Thank you," she curtly responded. She turned to face the mercenaries and resumed pacing back and forth in front of them. She didn't do this long before stopping and coldly ordered, "Weapon's free." In an instant everyone drew their sidearm and held the four mercenaries at gunpoint. They panicked and moved to draw their weapons. Alexandra, however, was faster.

In a voice colder than ice, she spoke with such a dark inflection, one could almost see her exude an aura blacker than the cold of space. "Move and I _will_ give the order to fire." They felt the air cooled to unbelievable temperatures. They involuntarily shuddered under her frigid gaze and dark tone. Realizing their situation they lowered their hands.

Alexandra approached one of them and stared him directly in the eye. Her ice blue eyes coldly glared at his defiant eyes. Doing nothing but standing right in front of him, back straight and hands folded behind her back, everyone could see just how angry she was. He struggled to assert his will upon her, but against the tundra of her glare, his effort was like attempting to drive a small knife into an iceberg. It broke.

As did he, doubling over from a sudden impact to his stomach. He hardly made a sound as air rushed out from his lungs. Alexandra sidestepped allowing the brute to fall to his knees. As he pitched forward her knee slammed into his face, as a distinctive crack could be heard. Falling down in a broken heap – one hand clutched his face while the other clutched his stomach – he curled up on the floor, groaning in pain. Alexandra watched in contempt as her first victim struggled tried to get up.

Picking him by the scruff of his shirt, she hauled him up onto his knees. His face was bloody and his nose was disfigured. She could even see the start of a large bruise across his face.

"Remind me what we agreed on if the kids bothered you? I think I have forgotten." The man in her hand gave a bit of a grunt before trying to assault the smaller woman. Alexandra easily pushed him back, causing him to miss before smashing his face with her boot. He hardly made a sound falling over unconscious.

Without pausing, she grabbed the next one by the collar and hauled him face first into a table, warping the metal and spattering blood across the surface.

She turned to the other two and asked, "I'm waiting for an answer." The two of them tried to stare her down, but were failing miserably. All they succeed to do was drop the room temperature by several degrees.

Eventually one finally cracked and said, "We walk away."

"Walk away," Alexandra mockingly repeated. She resumed pacing, in and around the three mercenaries; each boot step reverberated as she walked. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

From behind, she grasped the shoulder of the one she just face planted. Pulling him up onto his feet she dusted him off. "Sorry about the nose and all." Her apology was almost sincere, until she swept his feet out from under him. Using his shoulder as leverage, she pulled him down as her elbow impacted his face, breaking several teeth in the process. Everyone who watched flinched.

"Do you call this walking away?" she calmly asked. And still her expression remained fixed. Again without warning, she smashed her boot into the 3rd mercenary's groin, watching dispassionately as his voice reached to pitches unnatural for a man his size and age. He fell over and curled up pitifully cradling his loins.

"Do you call injured children walking away?" she asked again. Grabbing the last one, she manhandled him and buried his face into a bowl of porridge, warping it in the process. Swishing his face around in the mix of goo, her voice took on a much icier tone as she calmly demanded, "Answer the question."

She lifted his head. "No," he spat trying to clear out the porridge. "The hell, we paid you to transport us!"

"It's very true, you did pay us," she factually stated, and then tossed him into the bulkhead behind her. She watched as he collapsed like a rag doll. "You paid us, but the captain and I told you the rules." She approached and knelt down grabbing a fistful of hair and pulled him up into a sitting position.

"You _agreed_ that you'd follow the rules," she coolly stated, even as the man struggled against her grip. "And the rules said you were to walk away if the children bothered you. I don't even know how badly you hurt them, and I don't want to know right now." She gripped tighter and pulled his head to the side smashing it into the floor. He was dazed, but not unconscious. She calmly rose to her feet and walked around these miserable excuses for men, and horrible examples of a mercenary warrior. She crossed her arms and stared at their prone forms as they licked their wounds. Of course it would be a while before the other two woke up again.

"You are confined to your barracks until the captain can deal with you." Her voice held such finality that promised a lot more pain if they argued. "Your meals will be delivered to you. You are not to have contact with my crew. Try anything, and I may as well shoot you."

"You bitch," one of them muttered through the blood that now caked his face.

She answered with a non-committal shrug. "Welcome to the Angel's Fury 4th Company. My company, my rules." She then looked at her crew and said, "Take them down to their quarters. Post guards there until further notice."

"What the fuck," the same one sputtered. "What about our injuries?"

"What about them?" she blankly inquired, as if confused by the question.

"Aren't you going to fix this?"

"Sure," she answered, to their relief. "I'll send someone down…after lunch." The crew said nothing, but disapproved of the decision. In their opinion, they deserved not to be given any sort of attention. Alexandra flashed a chiding look at the crew before turning her attention back to the mercenaries in front of her. "You're lucky I might add. I could just maroon your sorry asses on the nearest planet." She could see the look of horrified understanding glimmer in their eyes. "Get them out of my sight. They are not to leave until we reach the planet."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Alexandra demanded that someone get the place cleaned up. Immediately kitchen sprang into action as they started to restore everything. Thankfully it was still early enough that not everyone was awake. She could already feel the onset of the headache. Without another word, she turned around and opened the door, and left the galley.

As she walked out, she heard someone mutter, "Remind me to never cross her."

Quietly stalking the hall, she struggled to maintain her composure and calm down. She slowly tried to process what she'd witnessed when she'd entered. It had been a big scuffle. The crew struggled to restrain the mercenaries, but they were losing due to the difference in strength. Kitchen staff noticed the noise and tried to help. In the corner, the parents were trying to keep the younger children calm while Tim, Kasumi, and Jasmine dealt with the injured ones. There had also been some blood in the area.

"Wait…blood?" she whispered. At the very thought everything snapped.

"Damn those idiots!"

* * *

Now seated in her desk, Alexandra buried her face in her hands, wishing she had gone with her gut instinct and rejected their bid. She was going to have to let Tanya know about this, and help investigate the situation. She was not looking forward to the lecture she was bound to receive from the older captain.

She'd probably have to follow up and check on the children as well. She also needed to talk to the child who had caused this, along with gathering Tim's and Jasmine's testimonies, and the parents involved. This was most definitely not her morning. Add on the fact they were just days away from the jumpship, it was looking to be a very horrible day.

"It's one of those days," she muttered languidly. Glancing at her clock, it read 0834 hours. Already she was feeling very tired. Reluctantly pushing off the desk, she took a few deep and calming breaths. It wouldn't do her any good if the children saw her in such a state of disarray. Putting away her flask, and confident that her emotions were in check, she opened her office door and made her way down towards the infirmary on the deck below.

Along the way, a few crewmembers greeted her good morning as they passed. She acknowledged them in her normal fashion with a polite nod, but warded off any attempts to chat saying she had urgent business to take care of before docking. They were none the wiser and accepted her statement.

Climbing down the ladder-like stairs, she navigated along the narrow corridors before opening the infirmary door. Her anger spiked seeing two of the children sitting on beds while the nurses cleaned up their injuries. In another corner gathered around two other beds, parents quietly consoled the children. She noted a couple of them were nursing bandaged arms. The anger threatened to boil again, but she suppressed it forcing it back into the recesses of her mind to simmer – for now. It worsened the headache, but it was better than to let it out here.

She asked one of the nurses for a report. Most of them got away unscathed, but some were sporting a couple cuts and bruises. One was in another room under sedation and was receiving stitches in his head. Alexandra made a mental note to have Tanya see the mercenaries again at some point today and give them _another_ talking to. She thanked the nurse and turned her attention towards the children again. They were rattled from the encounter, but by the looks of it they would get over it.

She then walked over to Jasmine who was surrounding by a few of the children. "How are they?"

"Better than before," she answered back, rubbing them across the top of their heads. A few of them continued to sniffle, but mostly alright. "So what now?"

"Now I let the captain know," she answered and gave no further answer. There was no need. Her set jaw and troubled eyes told Jasmine that her employer was not happy and needed to vent. She'd seen Alexandra vent earlier, but clearly it wasn't enough. She said nothing on that, of course.

Jasmine gave Alexandra a supportive squeeze on the shoulder. "You'll do the right thing." The latter shrugged a bit in response, but nonetheless appreciated the gesture.

Alexandra knelt down in front of the children and lightly ruffled the nearest child's hair. "You needn't worry anymore. The captain and I will punish them. They won't hurt you again." She offered them a soft smile which seemed to somewhat brighten their spirits. "But…this won't be the first time you'll see this. Learn from this." She gave them a stern but understanding stare as she looked at them. "Understand that this is the life of a mercenary. But," her tone changed and became a lot more encouraging, "you were really brave to go through that. You guys have what it takes to live this life. Make me proud kids." Offering one last encouraging smile, she rose to her full height and moved to attend to the other children, speaking with a few of them and also assessing their state.

By the end of her visit, the headache was long gone, along with the majority of her anger. The exhaustion worsened, but she'd deal with it. She was definitely going to take a nap later today after speaking with Tanya, who'd by now was bound to have heard something.

She prepared to leave the infirmary when a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "Ya did the right thing comin' down 'ere."

She turned around and gave Jasmine a pointed look. "They hurt my crew. I owe it to them to visit." She felt the hand tighten around her shoulder. They might've not known each other long, but she appreciated the concern and support. She nodded and left the infirmary, allowing the hand to slip off her shoulder. She progressed unhindered and interrupted, much to her great relief.

Approaching Tanya's door, Alexandra sighed and knocked on the door. Almost immediately Tanya ordered her to enter. Opening the door, she stepped through the threshold, and then shut it behind.

"Come to attention you damn fool," Tanya snapped. Immediately Alexandra's heels clicked together, armed checked by her side, and back straightened.

"Who the hell do you think you are, for crap that happened aboard MY ship!" the red-head demanded, standing up. "I could care less who your mother and aunt were! In fact, I distinctly remember those two _drilling_ naval protocols into the both of you. In fact repeat to me what they always tell you!"

From memory, Alexandra immediately quoted those words long since burned into her mind. "Aboard ship, captain has final word of all that happens aboard ship. Additionally, incidents that occur aboard ship will be dealt with at the discretion of the captain."

"At the discretion of the captain," Tanya slowly repeated as she walked around Alexandra. "And _what_ pray tell, did _you do_?"

"I circumvented your authority. I acted on my own," she crisply replied.

"Circumvented _my_ authority. _My _authority!" the captain snarled. "The one _your mother_ appointed to _me_. The responsibility to deal with shit like that aboard _this_ ship." She continued to pace as she reamed her company commander, 20 years her junior. "You of all people know how this works. You don't just barge in and take command like that.

"You don't have me telling you how to command the company! I don't suddenly take matters that could affect the company into my own hands. And I most certainly don't discipline people on matters that affect the whole company, just like how _you_ shouldn't be handling people, whose actions affect only _my crew_.

"Here, I dictate what happens on this ship. Up to, _and including_, how we discipline idiots like them. _Am I understood_, _Alexandra_?"

"Perfectly clear."

"You better damn well have." Tanya sighed as she rubbed her forehead. She waved for Alexandra to relax as she said, "You're damn lucky your cousin is with Olivia…she'd have done worse than me…"

Dropping her stance, Alexandra turned to face the captain. "I apologize for –"

"Don't kick the dead horse," she stated, giving the younger woman a pointed look. "It's done, no more." Alexandra nodded in understanding.

Tanya signed heavily as she waved for Alexandra to follow. "C'mon…let's get some breakfast."

* * *

Curled up on her side on the bed, Alexandra sighed in contentment. It felt nice to just lie down and do absolutely nothing. Stripped down to her tank top and panties, she enjoyed the cool air against her bare skin. Despite knowing there was work to do, she needed to rest, something she'd been telling herself for the past few days, but ignoring it repeatedly. Today reminded her that overworking leads to stress build-up, followed by a very exhausting crash.

At least she had vented some of that stress this morning; even if it had pissed off the captain. At least now Tanya would deal with them, instead of her.

Lightly fiddling her navel piercing, she quietly asked aloud, "Did I do the right thing?" A 15th birthday gift from her late mother, it was one of the few trinkets that had remained intact. Sadly, her question received no answer.

She slowly breathed out and closed her eyes. A nap sounded like a good idea. She needed to sleep. She considered setting her alarm before deciding against it. She wasn't sure if it was the best idea, but she really needed to sleep.

* * *

Tim let out a loud sigh for the umpteenth time, platting his face onto one of the unbroken galley tables. He didn't know what to do anymore. He had planned to spend time with the kids, but that had been blown out the airlock.

He'd planned to spend time with Celina on the bridge as back up, but that too was thrown out the window when she sleepily kicked him off the bridge. Thorsten and his boys were probably down in hangar 2 with their mechs or off in some other part of the ship doing something. Jasmine was down in hangar 3 with Audrey. He didn't want to be down there with Jeremy on the warpath. That left him with a few crew members who were presently in the galley and Kasumi.

In the corner of his eye he saw her in her usual 'observation' corner, reading a book. She was antisocial at best and a complete brick at worst. She hardly spoke, and whenever she did it was direct and to the point. It was like talking to a computer at times. Her awareness of social norms and human behaviour stopped him from thinking she lived under a rock her entire life.

His attention turned to the rest of the galley. The crewmen present were lost in their own conversations, and kitchen staff was busy preparing lunch, which smelled suspiciously like ravioli. He smiled at the thought. He hadn't enjoyed good ravioli for some time. It was probably one of the last cooked meals before switching to packaged meals again. Sighing aloud, he still had no idea what to do.

"Are you in distress, Timothy?" Kasumi's soft voice suddenly asked.

"Just bored," he unhappily groaned. Sitting upright, he looked over towards Kasumi, who'd set her book down. "What ya reading there?"

"A book on Japanese haikus," she flatly answered. She held up the book, but he couldn't make heads or tails of the text.

"Ya read a lot?"

"I find it passes the time."

"I see…" Well that passed a few seconds. He wasn't even sure if holding a conversation with someone like Kasumi would be possible.

"You are the Executive Officer's boyfriend, correct?" Kasumi inquired in her usual deadpan manner. It was actually unnerving to listen. It sounded really detached; devoid of emotion.

"Yeah, I am," he answered proudly anyways. Despite Kasumi's demeanour, even talking about his girlfriend he couldn't help but answer with pride. And though she had Alexandra who didn't care much for him, it doesn't stop him from seeing. That didn't mean that he wasn't afraid of her, however.

"It is curious," she murmured giving him an appraising look. "While you are of excellent physical condition, you seem to lack…other desirable traits, for lack of a better term."

He was taken aback from the comment, mostly because he didn't understand what she meant. He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to respond to her, especially with the way she spoke.

"You lack intelligent qualities often desired in male partners," she plainly answered, noting the lack of confusion. Either she had no idea she could easily be perceived as insulting, or it was simply the way she talked, he thought. It didn't help her blank expression was now starting to creep him out.

"Uh…I'm…not exactly sure how to answer that," he weakly chuckled, scratching his cheek in confusion.

Kasumi regarded him for a few moments before answering. "I apologise, most are not used to my unique communication methods."

"Uh…I see?"

"That is to say…I am not adept at speaking with others. I much prefer to observe."

"Observe?"

"I find…solace in watching others," she answered, elaborating on her statement. "Almost like reading a book, I find I learn most about people by observing them. It's also relaxing, compared to direct interactions."

"If that's the case…why did you want to talk to me?"

"The lack of your normal disposition, in combination of the lethargy you exhibited led me to conclude that you lacked mental engagement, prompting me to attempt to keep you…entertained."

Unfortunately for Tim, the well worded and educated response could only be answered with one word in a puzzled manner. "Huh?"

Kasumi looked taken aback for a moment before regaining her composure. "I apologise. What I mean to say is that you looked bored, and I'm trying to help…relieve your boredom."

"Oh…that makes sense I guess," he sheepishly replied, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, I'm not really good with big words."

"Clearly," Kasumi deadpanned, her expression having long since returned to impassive state. "Perhaps this had been an unwise course of action on my part. I apologise if I have caused you any distress."

"Well…it's not exactly that," Tim slowly began, stopping Kasumi from resuming her reading. She kept her hands on the table and waited. "It's just…well I don't exactly know that many words. Hell, I _know_ that Celina is helluva lot smarter than me. I can't compete. But you know what? I love her for who she is, and she loves me for me. That's what it's all about if you ask me. But I do appreciate you trying. But I don't get the big words. I could learn, but it would take me a while."

"That is fair," Kasumi agreed. "I surmise you never attended school then."

"Not really," he sheepishly answered. Despite the slight usage of bigger words, he heard Alexandra and Celina say it often enough to get it. "Grew up in a poor city. Mom had to scavenge every day. Passed away a bit before I started to learn how to fight; learned how to pilot a mech too. Got picked up by a passing merc. Learned a bit from him: how to talk a bit better, how to deal with 'pests' as he calls them, and stuff. Even learned how to read. Kept me off the streets."

"Somewhat ironic, considering your present occupation," Kasumi commented.

"Ya think?" he chuckled.

"Although I am curious, how did you join this company in the first place?"

"Well that's easy actually. The guy who picked me up is part this gig. He'd been on contract nearby and brought me along for the ride y'know?

"Anyways, I stayed with the first company for a while. Kinda like an apprentice to him. Got to meet the boss of the whole outfit! Great guy. You should meet him if you can. Scary as shit for an old man when angry though. So yeah I spent a few years there. It actually wasn't until Alexandra became captain when I met them. They were short a pilot, and Gen, the guy who took me in, thought, 'What the hey Tim, why don't you join 4th company.' Been here ever since.

"Met Celina around that time too. We hit it off from the start. And now, 5 years later, here we are still going strong. Not bad if you ask me."

"Indeed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Sunder in the hangar is yours, correct?"

"Well…more like the company's, but yeah I ride it."

"I see," she stated, filing the information away. "Also what's your relation to the company commander?"

"Alexandra? What about her?" he asked.

"She seems to detest you to a certain extent," she stated. "She seems to anger easily regarding the subject of you."

"She never liked me from the beginning," he waved off, chuckling. "At first, I was the rookie who couldn't do shit all. Now it's cus I'm dating her sister. I think it's just some sort of older sister complex."

Kasumi surreptitiously glanced towards the crewman who overheard Tim's last statement, with uneasy expressions. She had her own reservations on the matter, but was inclined to agree with them. She highly doubted Alexandra would let this rest easily. In fact, she hypothesised things were going to get worse, to the point it would take only one minor blunder to set it all off. However, it wasn't her place to touch on the matter. She just hoped that one or the other would be mature enough to broach the subject and talk before things escalated.

"If you say so," she murmured. She noted Tim said nothing of her comment. She figured he missed the doubt. She'd prefer it that way.

"Now I have a few questions of my own," Tim suddenly stated, pulling Kasumi from her train of thoughts.

She nodded and said, "You may ask."

"Okay this is gonna sound strange but…why the hell do you always talk like that?"

Kasumi blinked a few times trying to understand the question, but failed to understand. "Pardon me?"

"You know…all soft-like…Combine-like…," Tim elaborated, twirling his hand around and around as he spoke. "So freaken polite!"

She raised a brow, but showed no other outward response, but mentally, she was not particularly pleased with the comment. "It is how I was raised," she flatly answered.

"Uh…I see…" he trailed off. He suddenly shivered feeling a chill suddenly run down his spine. He wondered when the temperature suddenly dropped.

Tim took a moment to ponder on his next question. "So…how'd you learn to pilot?"

Kasumi's face actually twisted somewhat. "That is a private answer. Suffice to say, my mother knew people."

"Uh…I see…" He shifted awkwardly in his seat, not particularly sure how to continue now. He played with the glass in his hands, trying to get a handle of what just happened. He looked up to see that Kasumi had resumed reading her book. He opened his mouth to say something, but the look she suddenly sent him shut him up.

Rising from his seat, he began to slowly back away from the platinum-haired woman. "Uh…I…I guess I'll catch ya later…" Once a respectable distance away, he quickly turned and left the room. He'd recognize that sort of look anywhere!


	7. Chapter 7

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter VII**

Three days later the Imperator touched down on the starport of Fukushima city, of New Kyoto.

Staring out the bridge's view port, Alexandra couldn't help but marvel the sight before her. Compared to the mix of muggy under city and sprawling metropolis of Solaris, the capital was a pristine technological marvel. Massive spires reached to the skies above. Its city skyline artfully shaped to appear like rolling hills surrounding a giant mountain. The buildings bedecked with only the finest of steel and alloy, glimmering brightly like a gemstone on black velvet. In the distance, the factories and labs could be seen. But what drew her attention, was the giant, golden Buddhist temple that stood center of the city. And atop the grand tower, sat a giant statue of the Buddha, carved what she could only assume to be some of the finest marble available. She hoped she'd have time to enjoy the rock gardens.

Alexandra glanced over towards Celina who was finalizing payment transactions, as well as looking into resupplying.

She couldn't help but let out a sigh. The trip was finally over, and they could at last be rid of their _passengers_,if they could even be considered as such. If they saw each other again it would be far too soon. She just hoped they ended up on opposing sides. She'd love for the legal opportunity to kill them. Technicalities were truly a beautiful thing.

"Quite a view huh?" the captain asked, rising from her chair. Alexandra silently nodded. "So…what's the plan?"

"Hit the recruitment hall ASAP," Alexandra quickly replied. "Find some side jobs, and get us a contract. I heard there's a few garrison and pirate defence jobs up for grabs."

Tanya nodded in approval. "Sounds like a decent plan. What about in between now and then?"

Alexandra shrugged nonchalantly. "Take a break? Enjoy the city? It's their free time, as long as they finish their work."

"What's with her and work," Celina muttered sourly under her breath.

"I heard that," Alexandra remarked looking over shoulder. "And you know the answer to that question already."

"Yeah, yeah," the XO groused. She childishly stuck her tongue out at the captain before turning her attention back to her console.

"By the way, let Jer know I want those Pumas prepped for transfer," Alexandra added.

"Any reason?"

"Waste of space," Alexandra replied as she approached Celina's station. "Olivia also said she had more pilots than mechs. We're not using them, so why bother keeping them."

"Fair enough," Celina agreed, and forwarded the message to the head technician. "They're touching down in a few days."

"Sounds good," said Alexandra sighed as she leaned against Celina's chair. She glanced out towards the city again, quietly muttering, "I wonder how they're doing…"

* * *

A couple hours later, Alexandra sat in her office, brows knitted as she read over a last-minute contract. "Right," she muttered. It had everything: high pay, nearly complete coverage, type of opposition, even weather forecasts. Everything inside her screamed something was missing. For a contract that seemed to tell everything, the contract rubbed her wrongly.

She contemplated not accepting the contract. The job was authentic, but it didn't sit right with her. But the opportunity was too good to pass up. They were short on money. The contract was enough to cover their bases while they attempted to negotiate everything else, including possibly securing more pilots. The best she could do was approach with caution and be ready for anything. Setting aside the file, she looked through her pilot roster.

The mission asked only for a single lance. Air and ground support were already covered. Enemy forces comprised mostly of medium and light mechs with some heavy support. Reading through the Intel, she quickly pieced together a team. Noting the time, the briefing was about to begin. Grabbing everything she needed, she left her office.

Entering the briefing room, she dropped her folders atop a table in front of a small projector screen. Without looking she knew everyone was waiting for her to begin. That was how she liked things to be. Opening the manila folder she produced a data-disk and plugged it into a port on the podium. The lights in the 25-seater room dimmed as the screen activated, displaying the operation area. "Doering Electronics," she stated, introducing the contractor, "has a harbour that serves as their central warehousing hub. The mission: protect it from enemy forces until relieved. Expecting mostly light to medium mechs, maybe some heavies.

"For this job they want us to send a lance. Angel, Steinbock, Obsidian, and Fang will deploy. Steinbock will be in command of this mission."

"Aye ma'am," he gruffly answered through his German accent.

"However, a word of caution," she stated as she leaned an elbow on the podium. "Something is wrong with this. I don't know what exactly, but the specifics are far too easy. Not sure what's going on, but I have a feeling they're not telling us something. Proceed with extreme caution. I will send Snow and Dang in a full day later to join you. Be ready for anything." Alexandra surveyed their responses. Naturally they were concerned. Working with most of them, she knew they'd take her warning seriously. She also trusted them to make the right decisions.

"Any questions?"

"What we get for this?" Jasmine asked, raising an eyebrow. "Cuz there's no way in hell I'm risking my ass for something too good to be true for nothing."

Alexandra filled open the folder and listed off the specifications. "Full and complete salvage rights, ammo coverage, and ground, air, and local naval support. We're not alone, but we're going to be the only mech support."

"That's just peachy," Jasmine drawled her faced riddled in annoyance. "So we're going in blind without proper Intel?"

"That's essentially it," Alexandra deadpanned with a nonchalant shrug.

"This had better be worth it," Jasmine snarled, already sharing her employer's sentiments about the mission. "If you ask me, I would da turned down that shit. No point getting killed."

"Try running a company one day when its financial health is on your head, along with everyone else," Alexandra replied challengingly, raising her brow that clearly questioned Jasmine's mindset. "Maybe you'll understand why I make certain choices."

Jasmine prepared to retort, but was quickly overridden by Alexandra. "I trust you to get the job done. That's what you're paid to do. Do it well, and come back alive. That's what's important. Sortie in three hours. Dismissed." Removing the data disk, closing her folders and grabbing them, she calmly walked out of the room without so much as a second glance.

It took a few moments for Jasmine to recover. She hadn't expected that.

Leaning back into her seat, she sighed and grinned. "Helluva a girl…"

* * *

Steinbock lance felt their mechs shudder as the cramped dropship landed with a heavy thud. Bay doors opened, the massive harbour complex filling their vision. Large warehouse, cranes, dry-docks, everything expected in a shipping yard. Calliope turrets surveyed the lands. Ground vehicles patrolled along the compound in staggered formations. Several hovercrafts cruised along their patrol routes. And one, possibly even two, Meabh Heavy Cruisers in the water. And center of it all, set up upon a small hill in the middle of it all, was the command tower.

Thorsten eased his machine forward, a Warhammer painted in green giraffe pattern with white accents. His lance stood by, awaiting his orders as he looked around, taking in anything and everything of notice; from the lowly workman reading his clipboard, to the cranes carefully lifting and moving cargo.

"Move out," Thorsten ordered. Immediately Kasumi's Marauder, Jasmine's Arctic Wolf, and Carson's Assassin stepped out, falling into formation, throwing up dirt and dust behind them as the rental dropship took off. Approaching the harbour, they reported ready ops with Celina aboard the Imperator, coordinating with the harbour defence.

From the bridge, Alexandra leaned an arm against the shoulder of Celina's chair and watched everything with a careful eye. "Being ops. Be ready."

"Roger Lightning," Thorsten replied. Switching channels he radioed in the harbour. "Doering Electronics harbour, this is Steinbock, what's your status?"

"Steinbock this is Iyanden harbour, final prep's in order," the control tower replied. "Head around and follow the road. Join up with the northern group. They're undermanned and could use the assistance."

"Roger Iyanden, moving north," Thorsten snapped off, switching frequencies again. "Close up and form on me." Confirming the order, the lance turned right and progressed north, eventually coming across a treaded trail, passing by units of battle tanks on their way up.

The Lyran leaned to his left to better examine what he saw. Alexandra was definitely on to something. "Obsidian, what do you think?" Thorsten asked his lance mate and friend.

"I don't like it?" he answered back, his voice painting an image of concern in Thorsten's mind. "It's like Lightning said, it's all too perfect." Thorsten nodded in agreement. The mission definitely felt wrong. Large number of guards, defence turrets, numerous battle and hover tanks, it didn't sit right. This didn't seem like a company lacking protection issues. He examined his radar, assessing the number of allied forces. He noted how the northern region had the lowest concentration of defenders, located a considerable distance away from everything else. And then there was the mention of air support. There were no runways, or signs of an airport, makeshift or otherwise. So where were they getting it from? He took a closer look at the machines. Their colours didn't look right to him. Red flags were coming up.

"Hey, who or what is Doering Electronics anyways?" Jasmine suddenly asked, pulling Thorsten from his thoughts.

Thorsten prepared to speak when Kasumi's deadpanned voice filled the comm. system. "Doering Electronics is a producer of Communications and Targeting-Tracking Systems, and sole provider within the sector."

Jasmine let out a low whistle. "You think they'd pay us with a few of them TTS? I'd bet some of us wouldn't mind an upgrade."

"Possibly." A lengthily pause befell the lance before Kasumi spoke again. "Steinbock, I fear we've been had."

Jasmine, to say the least, was flabbergasted. "Say what?"

"I believe the harbour is already taken over," Kasumi calmly explained, "and hired our services in Doering's name to buy time to ship salvage. It is also reasonable to assume that every vehicle present has upgraded comms and TTS." Thorsten involuntarily shuddered hearing her speak in such a dead tone. He also hadn't realized how observant she was. He had a feeling that she was seeing far more than she was letting on.

"So you're saying a bunch of bandits...hired us?" Obsidian asked in disbelief.

"Mercenaries hiring other mercenaries, to be correct," Kasumi responded. "However, since the contract itself was issued through legitimate means, the MRBC will not dispute, unless Doering has filed."

"Angel is right," was Celina's answer over the radio. "It's a sanctioned contract."

"Bloody 'ell," Jasmine cursed. "Fuck the contract and walk. We're gonna get nothing outta this."

Alexandra strongly considered that for a few moments before shaking her head. "Negative. Continue with the mission. I want to see where this goes."

"Now just wait a damn minute," the brunette exclaimed. "You said _what?_"

"I _said_ continue with the mission," the blonde snapped. "Steinbock, confirm."

"Roger lead," Steinbock answered. Normally he'd argue the point, but having spent months working for Alexandra, he knew she had a plan.

"Carry on until further orders," Alexandra said before closing the line.

The Wolf pilot grumbled sourly under her breath when she heard the line click. She immediately started to fill the channel with a sleuth of curses and expletives as her machine trailed after the green Warhammer.

Upon reaching the rendezvoused in silence, Steinbock immediately began their patrol route, covering a large patch of land dotted with clusters of trees and rolling hills. Radios were silent save for occasional reports. Over the next hour they observed everything: the ground, the air, the tanks, the radio channel, looking for anything and everything out of place. None knew what Alexandra was waiting for, but they knew she was watching everything. For Steinbock and Obsidian, they knew she already had a plan in motion and was waiting for the pieces to fall into place. Kasumi was indifferent to it all. Jasmine, however, was less than impressed, and intended to let everyone know about it.

"The hell I'm doing this shit," she groused. "We should just fuck'em. What's this gonna accomplish! I swear if I were in charge –" Alexandra sighed as she muted Jasmine.

Celina smiled, amused at her sister. "She's a lot of fun."

The elder frowned. "She's gonna get them killed."

"Oh give her a break," Celina sighed, patting her sister's arm in amusement before continuing to monitor the feeds.

Another hour passed, and nothing happened. So they took a break. Gathered together they took position behind a hill, knelt, and powered down. Immediately they threw their canopies open, and let out a cumulative sigh of relief as fresh air rushed in to vent out the stifling engine heat.

Dropping back into his seat, Thorsten reviewed the nearby force. It was surprisingly small, numbering only 12 battle tanks in total; 4 Saladin hover tanks, and 8 Alacorn. A paltry force compared to a lance of battlemechs. The lance would either run circles around them, or outright plough through it with brute force.

Aboard the dropship, Alexandra suddenly realized something. "Celina, when did the Sovereign say it was going to arrive?"

"Actually…I think she's in orbit right now," Celina answered while glancing over a communiqué from their sister ship.

"Right," she responded muttering her trademark word. Turning her attention back towards the displays she continued to oversee the situation.

Suddenly Steinbock's radio crackled to life. "Steinbock, contacts north of your position!" Immediately everyone closed their canopies and reactivated their mechs, drawing them back up to their full heights. When their radar booted it, it immediately identified inbound targets from the north and north-east.

On the Imperator, Alexandra found her opportunity. "Find their channel, and secure it!"

"You heard the captain," Celina called out to the other operators.

Turning back to the radar display, Alexandra contacted Thorsten. "Steinbock, try and contact them."

Thorsten prepared to answer when a general message started its broadcast. "This is Captain Smith of Doering Electronics. Power down your mechs and surrender, or be destroyed."

"I knew it! Steinbock, hold position!" the young captain exclaimed. "Where's my channel?"

"You're in," Celina replied, passing her sister a set of headphones.

Pulling on the equipment, Alexandra grinned widened as she spoke. "Captain Smith, this is Lightning of the Angel's Fury. I have a proposition for you."

* * *

The results were surprisingly balanced. The Saladins speed along, weaving in and out of trees, hills, and mech legs, drawing attention upon themselves. From the cover of trees, the Alacorns calmly waited, training their sights upon their targets, waiting for the opportune time to fire. From the cover of the hill, Steinbock lance held position with passive sensors, anxiously waiting for further orders, despite the protests and demands from the nearby tank company.

Thorsten's radio crackled to life as he listened to the new set of instructions. He smiled wickedly and spoke to his lance. "Steinbock, change of plans: take out the mercs. Contract amended."

Jasmine surprise quickly moved into a bloodthirsty grin. "Bout damn time! Let's kick some ass!"

"What's the plan?" Carson asked.

"Continue as planned," Thorsten answered back, grinning devilishly. "We'll just…speed up the clock a bit."

"Now you're talking my language," Jasmine cackled in delight and bolted up the hill.

"Hells yeah!" Carson exclaimed with wild abandon and fired his boosters. Thorsten chuckled in anticipation while Kasumi simply hummed, but even she sported an amused grin.

"Pick a target and kill it!" The lance rushed over the hill and charged. With near perfect synchronicity, the Warhammer and Marauder unleashed their PPCs upon the unaware Alacorns, taking their crew by surprise, carving deep gashes across the hull. Kasumi immediately fired her gauss rifle. The effect was immediate as one of the turrets was split down the middle before the ground behind it exploded from impact.

At the same time, Carson and Jasmine releasing an unforgiving hailstorm of SRM missiles at the hover vehicles around, peppering them and the path ahead. The vehicles rocked around dangerously as dirt was thrown up everywhere. They zigzagged around dangerously, trying to avoid both the seeker missiles and the explosive ground. They couldn't risk letting their pontoons taking hits. Such as the rain of missiles ended, laser fire hacked through armour and inner mechanics alike. Crews started to panic as systems warned of internal fires. Desperation for survival took over as they tried to jettison the ammo, only to hear the releases fail to function.

The Assassin and Arctic Wolf watched as two Saladins were suddenly engulfed in flames as the ammo detonated. The other two were easily taken apart by the oncoming company of mechs. Without a second though, the two members of Steinbock lance turned around and bolted forward full tilt to rejoin their lance mates, where they were easily finishing off the rest of the Alacorns. By the time they rejoined their allies, their foes were all but dead or useless. Thorsten immediately told them to run, or be killed. They all wisely chose to run, _away_ from the rest of their allies.

Steinbock lance regrouped and approached the company mechs before them. And from that group an Archer stepped out and approached.

"Captain Smith of Doering Electronics," the pilot introduced himself. "You are Steinbock lance?"

"Aye," the German replied. "Our CO spoke with you."

Smith grunted in reply. "She says that we should proceed with taking back the base."

"Are ya nuts?" Jasmine exclaimed from behind Thorsten. "Against that block of tanks and calliopes? That's suicide if ya ask me!"

"Nothing to worry about Fang," Alexandra chuckled from the Imperator, who'd been listening to the communications. "Thorsten, Hammer-and-Anvil begins in 15 mikes. Get your asses down there fast."

"Seriously?" Carson exclaimed incredulously.

Thorsten chuckled in amusement, his wide grin having yet to leave his face. "Follow me. Captain, bring all your missiles to the front. We'll hit them with LRMs as we get in."

"Sounds like a plan," Smith agreed, and turned to bark off orders for everyone to get into formation. Getting into line in a timely fashion, the mass of battle mechs proceeded towards the harbour complex. Almost immediately they were met with resistance. Their betrayal had reached the ears of the others already, and they were not happy. Ground vehicles rushed to take up battle formations for maximum damage, while hover units rushed forward to run interference. But it was for naught against the combined forces of 16 mechs as several hundred tonnes of walking death stormed through their lines. In their wake, they left a trail of destruction followed them, doting the lines with husks of what've been tanks and hover vehicles of various makes.

From her cockpit, Jasmine smiled gleefully. This was what she was meant to do. This was what she was paid to do. Her maniacal laugh could be heard occasionally as she unleashed another hail of missiles upon a number of retreating tanks. She unleashed her pulse lasers upon helpless tank crews as they tried to run away, only for them to be crushed underneath the heel of her machine. Her grin turned feral as the ruthlessly hunted down anything and everything that came in her way. She cackled loudly as she yelled, "This is the life!"

Barrelling through the last of the defence line, the mass of mechs surged forward like a tidal wave straight towards the waiting defence line of combat vehicles and calliope turrets. Immediately the opposition began to unleash a fury of missiles and weapons fire, intent on striking them all down for their transgressions. They demanded recompense, with their lives.

"Drop missiles on those calliopes" Thorsten ordered. "Everyone else take out those damn Alacorns. And whatever you do…do not, for the love of god, do not EVER stop moving." As one, the task group unleashed their deadly payloads. Weapons fire crisscrossed one another, flying past attacks flying opposite them, and homing in on their prey. The effect was immediate.

On the side of the mercenaries, the calliopes buckled under the devastating hail of missiles, exploded in a brilliant flash of fiery reds and oranges, flinging a plethora of debris and shrapnel. Hover vehicles skidded and crashed as they tried to avoid weapons fire, while others had their pontoons ripped open, sending them careening straight into the dirt, and embedding themselves. Tanks suddenly found themselves with new exhaust vents as gauss rounds and combined weapons fire punched through their armour.

On the side of Doering Electronics and Steinbock lance, several mechs buckled and tossed about as return fire impacted along their torsos. Pilots screamed in fright as they were momentarily blinded by brilliant flashes of red and oranges across their cockpits. Alarms blared warning of reduced armour integrity and system damages. Two mechs fell backwards with a resounding bang, kicking up dirt and trees everywhere. One suddenly began to puff up like a balloon fish before exploding in a violent fashion, ending mech limbs flying everywhere across the field. Others began to turn or twist their mechs, defending exposed innards or damaged sides from further attack.

"Die fuckers!" Jasmine screamed, throwing the throttle forward. Her machine dashed forward with renewed vigour. Even as her mech shuddered and rocked from return fire, she pressed forward. She laughed insanely as her mech smashed its foot down upon tank in her way, before unleashing a rain of fire upon the next available target. She grin grew even further as she watched her attack rip through everything; tank and crew alike.

"Obsidian, do your thing," Thorsten called out.

From behind cover, the Assassin leapt out like a bat out of hell and charged across the open space. In an uncanny display of sheer skill and dexterity, he weaved in and around the staggering cacophony of weapons fire. Leaping to the side his boosters rocketed to life, propelling him up and away. Its right arm raised, he peppered the tanks with laser fire, supported by LRM and SRM missiles. Seeing the tanks line up shots, he cut boosters and began to fall, dodging a successive wave of gauss and lasers. At the last moment, the rockets ignited again cushioning his fall. Flying back towards the main line, he raised his arm returned fire.

"How the hell did he do that?" Jasmine exclaimed, having caught glimpses of Carson's acrobatic display. Growling in frustrations, she turned her attention back upon another tank in front of her. Without much thought she raised one foot and brought it straight down, crushing through everything until it set foot upon solid ground again. She hardly even blinked, despite seeing something red starting to seep from the cracks.

From the control tower, the mercenary commander watched angrily as men were being cut down one after another. Weeks of planning gone to hell. He cursed, realizing that he may have asked the wrong person to take the contract. He was, however, unconcerned that the harbour would be taken over. Things had gone on long enough. He would end it now. "Have the cruisers and our remaining units take position."

"Inbound target," someone called out.

"Air support?" he asked. "Have the calliope take them out."

"No…" the person choked out. "It's…it's…"

"What is it?" he snapped, becoming impatient with the lengthily pause.

"It's a dropship!"

He paled. Rushing to the nearest window, he watched the clouds gave way as a massive Overlord dropship exploded from the heavens above. Its bulkhead burned fiery red as it descended. It was as if the devil himself had dispatched this rocket engine of destruction. At the speeds it was falling the mercenary commander choked, realizing that they were going to crash right into them.

"TAKE THAT DAMN THING DOWN!" he screamed across the radio. "FIRE EVERYTHING!"

The dropship captain smirked. Elbow on the armrest and cheek against the back of her hand, the captain prepared to bring hell to their doorsteps. "At 3,000ft bring our engines back to full."

"Aye ma'am," the pilot answered, operating the controls as best he could.

Immediately everything in range began to pepper the sky with everything: LRMs, flak, lasers, gauss rounds, everything they had to take down the Overlord. Even the two heavy cruisers turned their batteries upwards and fired. The air exploded in desperation as the Overlord easily cleaved through the layers of weapons fire that rushed up to meet them.

Even as the ship rocked, the captain was unconcerned. In fact, her smile widened, amused by their desperation. Even as she listened to everyone giving damage reports, the captain was undeterred. The captain ordered to continue with the assault and instructed the crew to be more concerned with keeping the ship in one piece, than fixing it.

Only a matter of seconds passed before the dropship's burners fired at full power. Like a burning arrow from hell, it continued its hellish descent unchallenged. The commander watched helplessly as the Overlord stabilized directly above the cruisers. Its engines flash cooked everything underneath. Instantly the water evaporated, and the cruisers dropped straight down. Moments later, the gaping hole closed, as if the water had opened its maw and swallowed the ships. In one fell swoop, their naval superiority was completely and utterly decimated. Things only got worse. The dropship began to climb. Ever so slowly it began to rise, and spin. Like a hunter coming for the kill, it slowly stalked forward as lances of lightning, emerald, and sapphire flew out in all directions, striking down whatever stood in their way as the giant behemoth advanced upon the harbour. Soon enough its bay doors opened as mechs began hot dropping down.

The first of the vanguard, a Catapult landed before the command tower, and fired its nose weapons, vaporizing the command tower. A Gallowglas, Grand Dragon, Arctic Wolf, and Phoenix Hawk immediately touched down afterwards, and leapt into action, destroying anything and everything that entered their field of vision. From above, the black ball of death and destruction continued its slow and torturous march as volley after volley of weapons fire bombed down upon them. It made short work of the calliope turrets before turning its dark gaze upon the tanks. It was demanding blood.

From the entrance, Smith's Archer stormed through the fiery doors, like a spawn of hell screaming murder upon their wicked souls. Loudspeakers activated he offered an ultimatum, "This is Captain Smith of Doering Electronics. Power down surrender and you will be shown mercy. Fail to comply and you will die."

The reaction was immediate. Like a row of dominos, the mercenary force collapsed in rapid succession. Tanks and hover crafts came to an immediate halt. Hatches were thrown open as the vehicle crews clamoured out with haste. Their arms were raised in surrender. And from above, the massive Overlord began to slowly ascend and glided west, well above everyone, towards the Fukushima port.

Landing his Assassin on a high vantage point, Carson started to chuckle on all radio bands. Slowly it avalanched into a full bore maniacal laugh. Salvage, sheer unadulterated salvage. The amount of destruction was well beyond gravy.

"Good gravy," he purred to himself.

Aboard the Imperator's bridge, Alexandra victorious smirk was written clearly across her face. "Mission accomplished."


	8. Chapter 8

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter VIII**

Flying over the mix of forest ceiling and open plains, a VTOL rapidly approached Iyanden harbour. Clearing over the intact walls, below them was what could only be described as a warzone. It looked as if a hurricane blew through and ripped apart everything in its path. Everywhere gutted remains of tanks lay on the pavement. Some were still smoking from ammo explosions. What were once calliope turrets were charred remains, debris, and scorch marks.

Following a signalman's instructions, the VTOL carefully hovered over the makeshift landing pad, and carefully set down, in the middle of what were essentially giant piles of debris.

Releasing her harness, Alexandra instructed the pilot to wait until she came back before jumping off. Placing a hand on her hip, she surveyed her surroundings. Several tents were already put together, and people were scurrying about going about salvage operations. She quickly noted where the HQ and mess were, and continued her surveillance. Once her mental map was put together, she marched over towards Thorsten's Warhammer. His team was gathered atop the foot of his machine, apparently eating. As she got closer, she could start to make out their conversation.

"So I've been wondering," Jasmine suddenly began remembering the battle. Turning to Carson she gave him an incredulous look. "How the hell did ya pull that shit off? I've never seen anything like that!"

Carson simply shrugged in response. "I just do what I do."

"Do what ya do?" Jasmine exclaimed both in surprise and confusion. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"It means to drop it," Alexandra chuckled, joining them. "Trust me; you'll get nothing out of him. Just trust him to do his job, and leave it at that." Jasmine opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally deciding to close it. She decided to glare at Carson, who ignored it in favour of the delicious food in his hands. To her surprise, she could hear him lightly purr as he ate. She started to slowly back away as he continued to scarf down his food. Alexandra chuckled lightly in amusement. That was the general reaction when Carson started to behave like that.

"So what's the situation?" Thorsten asked, pulling Alexandra away from the amusing scene. "What we getting out of this?"

"Well as Kasumi figured out, the contract was legit." Alexandra smirked as she leaned against the cool steel. The statement also earned a nod from said pilot. "They decided to continue with it, but we made some changes and concessions, considering it was originally made under false pretences."

"Oh," Thorsten chuckled in realization. "Hey, nothing wrong with running with it."

"Yup," the captain happily replied. Pushing off the Warhammer's toe, she headed back towards the HQ with a particular bounce in her step.

"What's the salvage?" Carson called out towards the captain.

She turned her head and said, "First salvage rights, with about 60% to the total salvage, and a hefty sum of money." Chuckling lightly at the whooping she heard, she walked back towards the VTOL where Celina was waiting, leaning against the VTOLs fuselage. "They're happy."

"Why wouldn't they?" Celina chortled, wearing a similarly big grin. They had a feeling that the haul was going to be good. "I mean with all the still functional Saladin and Alacorns we could technically field a small armoured unit. Or we salvage their weapons."

"We'll probably salvage the whole thing and strip them for parts," Alexandra answered and nodded her head for Celina to follow her. "We might keep a small squad, but otherwise take the weapons and sell off the chassis. Besides, we could use the extra gauss rifles. Jeremy said something about Kasumi's might have issues. Just hope that it's the same make. He'll kill me if they're different models. Salvaging the calliopes is out of the question though."

"And the cruisers?"

"If they can recover them, maybe," Alexandra answered while a large grin graced her features, remembering the grand entrance the other Overlord had caused. "Olivia knows how to make an entrance."

"That she does," Celina wholeheartedly agreed. "So what's the plan?"

"Salvage all this, and then negotiate contracts," she answered, passing by work crews going about salvage operations.

"I see," Celina muttered. Walking around debris, she joined up with her sister. "So what are we doing here exactly?"

"Mostly to oversee salvage ops," she answered. She rolled her shoulders and neck a bit, sighing in relief as she released a bit of the tension. "And I want to check in on Olivia's team."

"It's been a while since we've seen them," the younger Carter commented as they approached the gathering of pilots from the 2nd company. Her expression soured when she recognised the paintjob of the Phoenix Hawk. "Oh…him," she muttered with as much disdain she could muster. She knew, without a doubt, whose Phoenix Hawk it was: Zack Harper, call sign Joker. While she respected Joker, she didn't particularly enjoy his presence, or more particularly his brand of jokes and disposition.

"Deal with it," Alexandra sighed as they approached another group of pilots gathered around the feet of the white, pink, and black Grand Dragon. "Or you could go back to Thorsten and stay with them," she then offered, thumbing back towards the forest green machine. "We're going to be here a while. Your choice."

"I'll deal with him," the XO muttered in annoyance, "but it doesn't mean I have to like him." That was the most Alexandra could expect. She couldn't really blame her sister though. The person in question was indeed quite the character that needed a special touch to deal with. He was best described as letting out his inner-kid more often than the average person would.

Approaching the group, her face morphed to shock and surprise recognising one of the pilots. "Eva?" she exclaimed. Even Celina was confounded.

Stepping out from the group, Evangeline Hayes Scott was a young woman one year junior of Alexandra. Four inches shorter than the captain, she had a mop of dirty blond hair which she had dyed purple, and a penchant for explosives. Approaching the captain, she smiled and held out her hand. Tattooed on her forearm was the symbol of the 4th company: a diving black hawk with white wings. "Long time no see. Haven't seen you since Arc-Royal."

"It's been a while Eva," Alexandra greeted accepting the offered hand before pulling her into a hug. "How are things?"

"Been dispossessed, but heard you're sending me a Puma, so I'm good on that end," Eva casually answered returning the gesture and smirking a bit. "So I'm not that worried."

"Dispossessed? What happened to your Cougar?" Celina exclaimed, surprised that Eva had lost her mech.

"Yeah, I know," she answered shrugging at the sister's concern nonchalantly. "But what can I do? Cry about it?" she then scoffed at the thought and frowned a bit. "Pops and I did enough of that when I got it killed a few months ago. Been keeping busy for the last little while, until Olivia told me I'm going to get a Puma for now. So again who am I to complain?"

"I…I see…" Celina slowly stated, uncertain. Eva looked fine and seemed to have gotten over the loss, but she wasn't sure that was the complete truth. She'd heard the story of how her father had used his insane amounts of money and invested into purchasing the machine, for Eva's 18th birthday. There had to be more than Eva was letting on.

"Eh don't get your panties in a bunch," one of the other members of the group drawled. Stepping out from everyone else, hands behind his head as he lazily entered, the one named Joker approached them, much to Celina's chagrin. Curly chestnut hair, lazy forest green eyes, he appraised the younger of the two Carter sisters. Among those present, he clearly towered over everyone, including Alexandra's whose 5'-10" stood against his 6'. Tattooed on his right shoulder was the symbol of the 4th company.

"Besides, she's got the right idea," he stated as he languidly pointed at Eva. "All this gloom and doom is boring. Now that battle was awesome! I can't believe I didn't leave home sooner!"

A hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Zack by the shoulder. "Harper now is not the time."

"Oh c'mon all I'm doing is-"

"Harper I said not now," the person gruffly stated and pulled Zack back into the group.

"In any case, anything you need from us?" Eva asked, laughing nervously. Her cheeks were lightly tinged, embarrassed by her fellow company mate.

"Not really," Alexandra sighed, shaking her head. "Same old Joker." Eva could only give her a sheepish shrug. "Just decided to drop by and see how everyone's doing. Everything seems to be fine."

"For the most part," the young woman answered and starting to roll her left shoulder. "It was interesting actually switching to something heavier, but for the most part I'm alright."

"I take it that you were piloting the Dragon?" Eva nodded in reply. "But it wasn't configured, was it?" Alexandra then asked, noting Eva wince when she moved her head.

Eva for her part could only laugh sheepishly. "Not really…Volos sort of…made me…"

"Made you?" the captain repeated raising an eyebrow.

"He insisted I take his place," she answered nervously. She shivered remembering Alexandra had inherited her mother's glare. "He'd broken his leg on an earlier mission so he couldn't really pilot…and Olivia gave me permission for a quick sortie so…"

"Why am I not surprised?" Alexandra sighed good naturedly. She smirked a bit and let her head loll back. "You okay though?"

"Hey, don't you go ragging on the boss now," Zack suddenly called out, interrupting Eva. He leapt out from the group only for the same woman, suddenly wrap her arms him and held him back. "C'mon Ivy, lemmie at her, lemmie at her!"

"I'd rather eat dirt than let you do something THAT stupid," the one called Ivy groaned with a light but distinctive Russian accent. Flipping her head to get her ebony hair, held in a single braid, out of the way, she grunted in exertion and hauled Zack away from everyone.

Alexandra for her part raised an eyebrow. "Did she get stronger?"

"A bit," Eva answered and again completed her answer with another noncommittal shrug. "Mostly just been having to haul Zack away while Elly or Jason do the talking, depending who's there."

"Oh Joker," Alexandra chuckled, her ice blue eyes glimmering with an emotion that Eva could only conclude to be deeply amused. "Anyways, I need to get a few things done and then head back to the Imperator. The port's just west of here about 30 mikes away. I'll see you there."

"Sounds good to me," Eva stated, nodding in affirmation. "It was good seeing you again."

"Yeah," she agreed as they hugged again. "We'll probably see more throughout these next few months though."

"We should hang out, maybe catch up," Eva suggested.

"We'll see," Alexandra agreed. Turning around, she waved off Eva and walked away. Celina gave a cheery wave of her own, while trying not to look at Zack, and followed after her sister.

Eva turned around to hear Zack let out a loud groan as he finally broke out of Ivy's grip. "C'mon way to ruin my fun," Zack complained crossing his arms in annoyance.

Ivy, a young Russian woman, who despite being shorter than Zack had just proved that sometimes size didn't matter. Her steel green eyes bored into Zack's forest green throwing him a rather annoyed look. On her right shoulder emblazoned in black with red trimmings was the company marking.

She let out an annoyed scoff. "Honestly Harper, it is one thing when you're jockeying with Olivia. It's a completely _different_ matter when you're doing it to Alexandra, our boss's charge!"

"I'm just having a bit of fun," Zack irately answered, the relation between the two captains sailing over his head.

"You're impossible," she groaned raising her hands in disbelief.

"Where you going?" Eva called out after Ivy.

"Food," she answered back over her shoulder. "Then I'm going back on my machine." Anything else she may have said was lost in a long tirade of Russian curses and phrases that would've made their ears blushed if they knew what she said.

"Alright guys get something to eat and then back to your mechs," Eva sighed in exasperation. "We're heading back to the ship."

* * *

A few days later, Alexandra summoned Jeremy to her office where she handed him a complete manifest of salvage. Accepting the list, he gave it a cursory scan. He seemed to pause, and then reread it again. And again. And again. And again. He looked up at Alexandra's smug expression, and then back to the list. Then to Alexandra, then the list. And he did this several more times.

He pointed to the list in his hand and sputtered, "You're…you're kidding!" Alexandra grinned and leaned back into her seat.

"We can KEEP this?" he sputtered in disbelief.

Alexandra laughed at her engineer's expression. He was like a child inside the ultimate toy store. He was absolutely drooling. She could already see the gears in his mind brainstorming ideas to use their new haul. She fully expected him to march into her office within the week, slap down a proposal and explain in great detail of his idea and how to implement it.

"Yup," she answered, seeing the silence killing him. "I want those four tanks up and running. Might sell 'em, might keep 'em, but I want those things battle ready. And salvage every single TSS you can. I want all of our IS mechs upgraded."

"I'll do better than that," he laughed and bolted out of the room for his precious mech bay. There was salvage to be sorted.

Alexandra smiled as she watched him leave. She prepared to leave when she saw the door open again. Her expression brightened when she recognised who it was. Practically jumping out of her seat, she approached her guest and gave her a big hug. The newcomer returned the hug with similar affection.

When they broke apart, the guest ruffled Alexandra's hair affectionately. "It's been a while kid."

Alexandra tried to tidy her hair. "It has Olivia-nee-sama. How are you?"

"Can't complain," the guest answered, shrugging nonchalantly. "The usual, here and there, blow this up, take that base...same old, same old." Matching her for height and wearing the same armband design as the Carter sister's bottom band, the buxomly Olivia Scarlet looked at the young Alexandra fondly.

Her golden eyes reflected the warmth of elder aunts and cousins. Her scarlet hair, the source of her surname, reached down to her mid back with bangs swept across and partially obscured her right eye. The rest was neatly tucked behind her left ear. And just barely seen was a scar running up and down her right eye.

"That sounds like business as usual," Alexandra replied.

"Damn straight," Olivia chuckled, procuring a cigar seemingly out of nowhere and lit it. She took a puff of the rolled leaf. "So...how are things?"

"Quite well actually," she answered. "Just recruited pilots from Solaris a couple weeks back. The top two of the open division as well." Seven years senior to Alexandra, Olivia patiently listened to her young counterpart talk about the events of the last few months, including the incident where her Mad Cat had taken a beating.

"Sounds like you been busy," Olivia commented. She sat down against the edge of Alexandra's desk. "Impressive strategy the other day." Taking a moment to look over Alexandra, Olivia felt her heart swell with pride. Having watched her grow up since she was about 5, Olivia knew that Alexandra would eventually find her own niche in this world. "Your mother would be proud to know her daughter's becoming an excellent commander in her own right."

"Thank you," she humbly answered.

"Well then," Olivia snapped standing back up, "let's take a look at your team of pilots." Alexandra smiled before falling in line with the commodore (a courtesy rank for captains aboard other ships not their own).

"This way to the galley," Alexandra stated as they walked through the halls at a leisurely pace.

"Why the galley," Olivia commented as they continued through the hallway.

"I remember you once said that the measure of a mech is its pilot," she answered, recalling she heard when she was younger. Olivia had once mentioned that she had cared little for the specifications of the machine. She stated that the mech could have all the top-of-the-line quality gear, but if the pilot wasn't up to snuff and knew how to use it all, it would be nothing but a pointless waste of C-Bills and time, that could've been spent improving the mech that belonged to a pilot who could've brought out a given mech's true potential.

"Very good," Olivia praised, patting Alexandra on the shoulder. "I'm actually a bit surprised you remembered something I said when you were 10."

"Was it that long ago?" the latter asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

The former nodded her head confirming the question. "You asked me why I don't bother to inspect mechs. I told you that what I cared about were the people. I wanted to know if I could entrust my very life with. That is one of the things that will keep you alive: the ability to trust those whom you call your friends and comrades." Alexandra nodded in understanding. Perhaps she should consider taking Olivia's advice in regards to Kasumi and Jasmine.

The conversation fell into a temporary lull before it carried on. "How's your sister doing?"

"She's doing fine," she answered, but then frowned a bit. "You remembered how I felt when I come back to find out she's been dating him."

"I remember," she commented, smirking in amusement. "If I remember, he was Gen's protégé. Made quite the impression from what I remember."

"But she's only 18," she sputtered shock expressed across her face. "And he's my age! She should be looking at someone closer to her age!"

Olivia simply grinned. "So what? What's five years? It's not like he's 33 and she's 14 or something."

"How can you be so casual about my sister dating someone like _him_?" she protested, narrowing her eyes at the senior captain. "I still can't believe you allowed it to happen when I was in school!"

"Simple: I told her to make her choice," she casually answered indifferently, much to Alexandra's surprise. She raised her hand to forestall any argument "It's her business. She chose to date him. If it turns sour, she'll pay for it. She'll cry, she'll moan, _but_ if she's anything like your mother and father, she'll learn.

"And I have reason to believe they're being smart about this. And even if it fails, she's you, and the entire Imperator crew, to support and cheer her up. Or am I wrong?"

The elder Carter came to a stop and thought upon the older woman's words. Everyone knew she didn't like the relationship the large oaf and her sister shared. But Olivia words were true. A good portion of the crew knew them since they were both children, and considered them as part of their own families. She knew that through thick and thin, the crew would stand together and help each other through any ordeal, whether it was offering a shoulder to cry on, or take a bullet for another.

"I…no…I suppose not," she sighed defeated.

Olivia smiled and placed a comforting hand on the captain's shoulder. "She's growing up…let her figure things out on her own. Let her know you're there for her, and try not to step on her toes…or break Tim's skull in either…"

Alexandra let out an un-dignifying snort. "You know me too well." Opening the door into the galley, the sight of the pilots sitting together over drinks greeted them, as they talked about the recent mission.

"Oh c'mon don't tell me none of you guys know," Jasmine exclaimed in exasperation. She set on trying to find out how Carson performed his tricks. But so far all she got was the same answer.

"Sorry Jas," Tim sheepishly answered back. "He's been tight-lipped about it. Not even Thorsten will say anything."

"You won't get anything out of him," Dang calmly stated from behind his bridged hands. "Personally I say drop the matter."

"How the hell can I not ask about all those sweet moves he did?" Jasmine indignantly stated, throwing Dang a pointed glare. "I mean c'mon, you normally only see that stuff happen in dreams or cartoons!"

From the door, Olivia looked at Alexandra with a smile. "They're your pilots?"

"Some of the best I've seen," the latter answered with distinctive pride.

"They look like it," Olivia stated as she looked over the assembled pilots. She could feel a strong sense of camaraderie between them. The air between them, and Alexandra's expression told her everything. She smiled wistfully, reminiscing of days long gone, of a crew that would never be together again.

She glanced towards a corner in the mess and raised her cigar. "Here's to you, Jo."

"Hey boss," Jasmine called out, raising her cup towards the captain. Her greeting was returned with a polite nod. "Why don't ya come 'ere and introduce us to your friend." Alexandra felt her eyebrow twitched, but looked over towards the commodore anyways.

She chuckled in amusement. "Why not? I'd like to meet them."

* * *

The following morning, Alexandra, Celina, and Olivia entered the hiring hall. It was surprisingly well furnished and decorated, she noted taking in the various materials and finishes. Lining the walls of the entry way tapestries were hung, bearing the insignias of the MCRB and some of the most powerful and well known mercenary units and their associated battalions, for all to see and marvel. But to the young captain, it was just a ploy to inspire a sense of awe and impressiveness.

Standing in the middle of the grand hall Alexandra crossed her arms and looked back at Celina. "So where are they?"

"Over there, with the Doering Electronics representative," she answered pointing towards one of the archways. She took the lead and guided the party towards the office she had indicated, passing by two mercenaries who were leaning against the wall.

As they walked past, Olivia raised an eyebrow. She paused and approached the men, and carefully scrutinized one of the two.

One of them raised an eyebrow. "Can we help you?" he asked.

Olivia all but ignored the one who spoke, staring intently at the man before her, before she broke into a wide grin and bear hugged the man. "Erno!"

"Sister Demon!" he sudden exclaimed, returning the hug with equal vigour. The sisters wheeled around, their eyes widened in surprise realizing who it was. Erno looked towards them, and immediately pulled the two of them into a hug, much to Alexandra's chagrin.

"Hi...Erno..." she muttered while trying to push him off. Celina was the opposite, fully embracing the man.

Olivia chuckled in amusement before hauling him off the sisters. "Willy and Eva will be happy to see you."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Slow down there kid," Olivia said, holding him down by the shoulders. She then looked over towards the other man and gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, known the guy since he was a kid." The other shrugged and waved it off. With that sorted, Olivia gathered everyone and took them aside to an office that the Angel's Fury were renting for the time being, and sat everyone down.

Once everyone was settled, Olivia gave Celina a pat on the shoulder, and stood away from the table with Alexandra, leaving the younger sibling to deal with the negotiations. When Alexandra looked at her, Olivia gave her a blithe shrug and said, "For practice."

The younger blonde looked at the redhead with a mixture of surprise and anxiety. But all she got in return was a grin and a wave telling her to run the show. Sighing in defeat, she looked at the two men across from her. At the very least she knew one of them.

She took a deep breath, and then introduced herself. "I'm Commander Celina Carter."

"Michael Parkins," the second man answered, extending his hand. Black hair, hazel eyes, and thin wiry build, he looked like a stereotypical citizen of the Draconis Combine. And like all members of the faction, his thin build belied the strength of the taut muscles clearly seen in his forearms. The two of them shook hands. "But please call me Mikey." Celina immediately took note of the firm handshake. He knew how to make a good impression.

"And you already know me," Erno cheekily greeted. "Erno Ukkomäinen, nephew to Willy Scott, and brother to Eva Hayes Scott." Celina raised an eyebrow at the sight of his tattoo. Vine-like patterns stretched across from the center of his face and spread out in intricate and delicate patterns. With his ochre hair held back in a ponytail, it exposed the entirety and the intricacy of it.

"When did you get that it?" she asked curiously, indicating towards the markings.

He gave her a secretive smile. "I'll tell ya that later." His grin widened when Celina gave him a sour look. From behind, Olivia winked in Erno's direction as they settled into their seats.

Forcing back the childish behaviour, she adopted a more professional stance and tone. "So what made you decide to join us?"

"Heard you guys were in town, and thought 'Why not, perfect excuse to come home,'" said Erno.

"And you?" Celina asked looking towards Mikey.

"I've heard interesting things about you," he answered candidly. "I'm interested. Heard you guys pay well."

"Damn straight they pay well," Erno exclaimed before Celina could answer. "Listen buddy, whatever they offer, you take it. Only a few could beat that, but we're talking Dragoons, Hounds, and Death Legion good."

"Erno," Celina growled in annoyance. "You're stealing my lines..." The man gave her a noncommittal shrug.

From behind, Olivia sighed in amusement. "Cut her slack Erno, and let her do her job."

"Fine," he mumbled in reply.

Celina gave the redhead and appreciative glance, and then faced Mikey again. "What sort of experience do you have, and do you own a mech?"

"Well," he began, and leaned forward on both arms, "it's like this: you give me a target, I will shoot it. If want something specific dead, I will shoot it. If you want me to kick its ass, I will do it and then some. You want me. I can get you intel like nobody's business. Me and my Phoenix Hawk would be your damn eyes. I am your man. I am your point and shoot machine," he momentarily paused, "but better."

From behind, Alexandra who had been observing quietly whispered, "He knows what he wants."

Olivia for her part smirked. "15."

"20," she snapped off in response.

"I'm not sure," she quietly muttered mulling over it in her head, all the while maintaining her grin. "I'd say 35."

Alexandra for her part raised an eyebrow, and then smiled. "Bargained well and done," she stated, mostly out of habit during her tenure in Arc-Royal. She definitely learned a lot about the Clan ways there. Already it had saved hers and everyone's asses on more than one occasion since she took command.

Olivia simply shook her head and extended her hand. "I see you still remember the game."

"I watched you and mother play it often enough," she answered. A game that the Carter sister's mother and Olivia used play involved them bidding against one another when they both wanted a given mercenary pilot in their lance for a mission. Using shorthand terms for simplicity sake, they'd bid until one or the other won the pilot. In this case, Alexandra agreed to pay Olivia 35,000 credits to keep have Mikey on her line-up, instead of Olivia's.

During the exchange, Celina gave Mikey an appraising look before nodding once. Picking up the two sheets of papers, she placed it in front of Mikey. "This is our offer."

He took the sheet and read it. His expression shifted from surprise to utter disbelief. Bewildered he looked at the young XO and then indicated to the sheet. "This is real?"

Celina grinned and nodded. "We will keep up our end of the bargain, as long as you do your job."

Erno simply kicked back in his seat and crossed his feet on the table. "You already know my answer."

"40," Olivia stated, her amber eyes darting over towards the young captain.

Alexandra's cerulean swivelled to meet the older woman's golden gaze. "90."

The commodore raised a brow. "You do realize that I could easily ask Willy to cover."

"Shit," the blonde cursed.

"Oi, Sister Demon, Uncle and Eva still work with ya?" Erno asked over Celina's shoulder.

"Yup."

Erno grinned towards Alexandra. "Sorry, but I'm taken."

Pushing off the wall, she shook her head as she approached and stood behind Celina. "I'm Colonel Alexandra Carter, 4th Company commander. My rules are simple: My Company, therefore my rules. Do your job, be smart, and follow mission objectives, we don't have a problem. We clear?"

Erno couldn't help but grin. "Just like your mum." Alexandra gave him a pointed look, but said nothing else.

"Sure," Mikey lazily sighed leaning back into his seat. "Whatever you say boss."

Getting up, they all shook hands. Alexandra and Olivia then proceeded to negotiate upcoming contracts while Celina escorted the new recruits back to the port and set them up aboard the Imperator and Sovereign.

* * *

The following morning the two commanders sat in Alexandra's office reading over the contracts and assigning the members of the 2nd and 4th companies to missions. With their pooled knowledge of their pilots, they started to put together units best suited for given missions.

Pulling up a particular contract, Alexandra momentarily scrutinised it before contacting the bridge. "Celina, have that…_boyfriend_ of yours report to my office."

"_Would you please stop saying it like it's some sort of evil word?_" Celina asked irritation clear in her voice.

"The day I accept him is the day I allow myself get into a Trial of Possession with him," she deadpanned in return. She smirked hearing her sigh in exasperation, while Olivia chuckled in amusement and shook her head.

"How's Erno settling back in?" Alexandra asked as she read another contract.

"Same old, same old," Olivia answered, jotting a few notes on a sheet before picking up another. "Willy nearly crapped himself, and Eva was just Eva." Alexandra snorted at the last comment.

Setting down the sheaf of paper, she focused her attention on her ward. "I think you're rather hard on Tim."

"And this is important because…"

"Nobody ever got on this sister complex?" the elder woman muttered, palming her face. It didn't help Alexandra didn't even bother to look up. Olivia looked at the blonde again and said, "Alex, do you realize that you have one hell of a sister complex?"

"Excuse me?" This time she actually did look up.

"In regards to Tim, you're damn well overprotective of her," she elaborated, and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Alexandra's confusion. "You're damn well playing older brother threatening to castrate he does something stupid, and father who'll kill the guy if he breaks his little girl's heart!"

"What in the world brought you to that conclusion?"

"Oh by Kerensky," she moaned. "You give him the cold shoulder, you think your sister is better off with someone else, you hardly acknowledge him at times from what I can tell; need I go on?"

"You're point being?"

"Have you forgotten what I said already? Let Celina make her own choices and decisions. Give her a chance to grow and experience things. I mean it's not like Tim comes from questionable backgrounds. And let's not forget the fact Gen raised him. He's a good guy, just give him a chance!"

"Like hell I will."

"Alex," Olivia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Listen…I don't know what's going on in your mind, but it really needs to stop. You can't look after Celina all the time. And I can say that even Tim can't look after her all the time. We all have our own lives, responsibilities, and obligations. You need to let go of Celina and let her roam free. Remember, you're not her mother. You're her big sister, who needs to trust in her little sister's decisions."

"I trust her," she stated. Her tone may have been its usual flatness, but her eyes spoke volumes of how this conversation was going down a road she didn't want to deal with. "I just don't trust him."

"So in the end you don't trust your sister."

"How does that work?"

"Simple: because you don't have faith in him, you therefore don't have faith in your sister that she knew what she was doing when she agreed to date him," Olivia calmly stated. Mentally, she wondered if Alexandra had always been this hard to deal with. But then again she hadn't seen or talked to her in 3 years, ever since she handed command over to her. Said person simply continued to give her a flat stare. She wasn't budging on this topic.

The commodore could only sigh and shake her head. "We'll talk about this another time." Dropping the matter, they continued going through the contracts and assigning everyone their tasks.


	9. Chapter 9

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**  
**Chapter IX**

Sitting down on one of the outdoor seats of a nearby cafe, Alexandra comfortably sat down, coffee cup in hand. Today was a particularly slow day. There weren't any duties to attend to, Celina was somewhere in town with a few members of the 4th company, Olivia decided to take up one of the contracts and was dealing with it with members of her team, and almost everyone else had been dispatched. To her annoyance, she had been kicked out of the hangar after being in there for some time. Jeremy eventually drove her out while saying she was radiating so much 'tight-ass tension' that it was making the crew nervous. She simply raised her hands up in surrender and left the hangar. Prior to that, she had spent the morning teaching the kids Japanese. They happily cheered when she had walked in this morning. And now in the mid afternoon, she was for all intents and purposes bored.

With nowhere to go and was just kicked out of the hangars, she decided to look around town and ended up finding this quaint little cafe. And now here she was, sitting on an outdoor table with a cup of coffee in hand. The view wasn't too bad either. She had a nice view of the relatively clean streets, and the people who were milling about on their business. Sipping her coffee, she let out what she thought to be the thousandth sigh. Today really was a boring day.

"Afternoon capt'n." And her afternoon just went to hell. Putting her cup down, she closed her eyes and counted to 5. Once she was sure she could keep her cool, Alexandra looked over to see Jasmine swagger up towards her, with a coffee cup of her own in hand. Said brunette waved to the captain. Her only response was a pointed glare towards the taller woman as she approached. Jasmine pulled up a chair and sat down in her usual graceful fashion.

"Bored I take it?" Her answer was a non-committal shrug. She didn't let it deter her, and simply continued on. "So, what does a captain like you do during your spare time?" This time she received an inquiring quirk of an eyebrow. That was a definite improvement, for now she had gained a response from the blonde. "Well from what I've seen, they're mostly out drinking with their crew ya know? Either that or they're looking for more people ta hire, or even working on their own mechs. You, on the other hand, dun seem like the average kinda captain, ya know?"

Alexandra was silent for a moments looking like she was contemplating about something before she looked up at Jasmine and said, "What would you say I am then?"

Her answer was that feral grin of hers along with her usual cocky attitude. "Well I'd say you're a hard-ass Combine captain that's learned how to relax some." She actually _felt_ her eyebrow twitch. And Jasmine had seen it based on the way her eyes suddenly glinted and that the grin widened. "And I'd say I hit the nail head, wouldn't you say?" Alexandra looked away, not wanting to dignify that question with a response. That was getting a bit too personal for her tastes. The raven-haired woman, however, decided to take a different route. It was a bit underhanded, but if she played her cards right perhaps she could get _something_ from this frigid iceblock.

"So I heard you lost your mother to a mission."

"What the hell did you hear?" The exclamation was made with such force and emotion that Jasmine actually jumped in her seat. The sudden shift from her normal calm, cool, and collected blue to fiery inferno of rage behind thin ice was staggering. She could hardly recognise Alexandra. The mask was the same but that voice and that gaze was different. She involuntarily swallowed as alarms screamed within her mind. The raven-haired woman knew she had just walked into an ice veiled minefield. She slowly raised her arms up in surrender. She'd have to tread this carefully.

Speaking slowly, she maintained eye contact and hoped she was conveying the right message. "I haven't heard much. All Audrey told me was that you and your sister lost your mother after some mission that killed her. I didn't mean any harm by that. Okay?" A thick and weighty silence fell on them as Alexandra slowly processed the answer. She stood up and loomed over the table with both hands firmly planted on the table. Looking at her eyes, Jasmine knew that Alexandra was more than prepared to reach over and kill her. Her gaze never broke away, and neither did the boiling anger. Everything was still focused and locked on the woman still sitting across her, arms raised up in surrender. It would be so easy to just give in and lay a big one across the face. Seconds passed as Alexandra continued to let the explanation roll in her mind. It seemed reasonable. However, she hadn't liked the tone of how Jasmine broached the subject.

She nodded once. And then slowly lowered back down in her seat, but her eyes conveyed the message: Strike One.

Jasmine let out long sigh feeling the heavy weight of the moment lift. From all her experiences, she could say that not a lot of things unnerved her or really frightened her. Concern her, but never frighten. Today, she knew she had felt that swell of fear just now.

"Listen," she began, but then paused. Under her dark gaze, she knew she'd have to word this very carefully. She didn't use eloquent words often, but she felt that a more diplomatic approach was required. "I'm…I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to."

"You're tone said otherwise." Definitely a bad sign if she was snarling. She _really_ screwed up big time.

"And I'm sorry. Look, I know what I did was stupid. But honestly, I didn't know that it was that much of a sensitive topic for ya. For that, I apologise, alright?" Silence fell upon them again as she allowed Alexandra to let the apology mull in her head. She just hoped that she hadn't badly damaged her relationship with the young captain by making such a careless mistake.

"Why do you want to know?" It seemed like a harmless question, but she knew that it was a landmine waiting to be stepped on.

"Honestly, I just want to get to know you." It was the honest truth. All she was interested in was getting to know the stoic captain. She just had her own way of going about it. But clearly her way was the wrong way. At least for certain topics, she thought to herself.

"No thanks."

"How about a trade?" she quickly offered. "I tell ya a bit about myself, and you can be the judge. Sounds fair?" Alexandra gave her a long hard look. Again she was thinking about it. Normally people like her wouldn't intimidate her. Those people were usually overconfident in their abilities and had big egos because of all the 'successes that they've had; successes earned by people under their command. The way they looked angrily at her, it was more like a child trying to pout because they did something bad and was trying to get out of the situation. Alexandra was different. The way she was looking at her, it wasn't some empty threat. It was a promise. It was a direct promise of pain and death for crossing her. The young captain was one of the few people who truly earned their laurels.

"No promises." She settled back down in her seat, and glared expectantly across the table. It was clear her patience was running thin.

Jasmine let out a long exhale. It was now or never. "Where to begin…"

"How about the beginning?" she deadpanned while raising an eyebrow.

Jasmine's eyes swivelled towards Alexandra. If it were any other time, she'd have laughed at the line. "Well…believe it or not, I used ta be a farm gal. It wasn't actually at that bad, ya know? Quiet countryside, living with mum and dad, working on the farm…the homely things." She lightly chuckled as she thought back to days long passed. "We lived in Confed. territory. It wasn't too bad. They left us alone for the most part. Them soldiers came by sometimes and bugged mum. Nothing serious happened though, thankfully." She took a long drag of her coffee to take a moment to collect her thoughts. "Then we got caught in crossfire."

"Stop right there," Alexandra interjected. "The agreement was about you; not some sob story. I could care less about that."

Jasmine raised a thin eyebrow in surprise. If it she had been any other woman, she'd have probably taken offense to that. But instead she sighed as her expression shifted into a smirk. "Yeah, ya got me there. We did…didn't we?"

"What's your angle?" Alexandra demanded. "I'm not in a particularly socializing mood."

"Ya know what…that's your problem." The statement actually earned a look of surprise and bewilderment from the captain. "You rarely socialize. Heck, I dun think ya even socialize with most of your crew, let alone your own bloody sister! I mean seriously, she works cus she's got nothing betta ta do. If she had the choice, she'd rather spend her time with her older sister."

A momentary pause befell them, and then Alexandra spoke. "First you ask me something quite personal…now you're criticizing my sociability, despite the fact that _you_ challenged me by trying to up your contract? What right do you have to judge me?"

"None really," she nonchalantly answered. And again she elicited a confused reaction from the blonde. "But honestly, I think ya need ta loosen up. Live it up a little. Maybe get drunk more often, or better yet, socialise a lot-" Falling off her chair, she quickly realized that Alexandra had punched her if the fact she was standing above her was any indication. That or the throbbing sensation on her cheek.

"Listen very closely," she darkly snarled. "I _grew up_ with this company. I know a lot of these people than you probably even realize. I know their children, and for even a few I knew their parents." She promptly knelt down to eye level with Jasmine. "So if you think I don't know my crew that well, you're very, and sadly, mistaken. And if you must know, my mother was my predecessor. I inherited this company from her when she passed away. Now I suggest you back off and leave me the hell alone, if you can't be at the very least be _polite_ when talking to me."

"Now where's the fun in that," Jasmine chortled. She scooted back a bit before standing upright again. She nursed her sore cheek before readopting her usual smug grin. She was most definitely asking for trouble. "I do apologize for asking about ya mum." She paused a moment to see if she'd get any reaction. She at least nodded. "But, I don't apologize for my opinions. You're way too uptight."

"Any particular reason you seem to…_enjoy_ harassing me?"

"Quite simple actually." She leaned on one foot and placed her hands on her hips. "I actually do want to get ta know my boss."

"And you do that by harassing me?" said boss stated in askance, crossing her arms. "I can think of other _positive_ methods of getting to know your boss."

"But where's the fun in that?" the taller of the two replied back in amusement. "Besides, I think what we're doing is a lot more fun and productive than me just sitting back and taking orders from someone I don't know."

"And what do you know about me?"

"A lot more than I did before."

"Such as?"

"Well for one," she began and then sat back down on her chair, "you're one hell of a scary bitch if something personal is involved." The commented gained an involuntary smirk. "Two: you're a bloody paradox. Ya come off as some cold-hearted bitch one minute, and the next you're some child's aunt, cousin, or sister!"

"Any other reasons?"

"Probably, but those come to mind right off the bat."

She had a feeling that there were other things that Jasmine wanted to say, but she wouldn't press for it. It wasn't really worth her time anyways. "Right," she quietly muttered.

"So anyways," Jasmine began, but then stopped to pick up her coffee and take a sip. Excellent, it was still warm. "Funny story about me actually; I wasn't this bad growing up." Was that curiosity she spied? She might actually make progress after all. "Like I said, I was just an average farm gal. Well…more like tomboy since I was an only child. Spent more time on the fields working or driving trucks ta be a real gal. Then again…mum was pretty much the same thing. Knew how to make a mean spaghetti and meat sauce though. Glad I learned that from her. Should ask the staff to let make some one of these days…

"Now where was I…Oh right! Anyways, so yeah, I was just ya average kid growing up. I knew how to talk to people, how to be polite…but then I came to realize…where's the fun in that? After being picked up by mercenaries who were in the area after I lost my home, I picked up a lot of things from 'em. One was a new way of how to…'talk' to people."

"And that would be?"

"Oh you know, politely letting 'em know that if I'm not happy, they're not happy, and that they pay penalties. Ya know: the usual crap." Alexandra just rolled her eyes. "So yeah, that's the story of my early life in a nutshell."

Alexandra's response was to roll her eyes and speak in a deadpan manner, "Hardly worth an exchange."

"Ah c'mon, it doesn't have ta be that personal," Jasmine exclaimed in exasperation. "It's not like I'm asking ya like what special moments you've had with her. I'm not that dumb. Just asking what about her that impacted ya life, that's all. Not like I'm asking how she died. Not my place ta ask anyhow."

"And here you were asking me about my mother, I'd say that's personal."

"I never asked anything personal though, you assumed I did," Jasmine corrected and wagged her finger for emphasis. That in turn lightly raised the blonde's hackles and a withering stare, one she shrugged off and ignored. "I'm still waiting Sunshine."

"Then you're probably going to wait a while," Alexandra muttered and grabbed her coffee.

"Oh now where do ya think you're going?" Jasmine stated and moved to stand in front of Alexandra.

The latter looked up and glared at the former's glittering emeralds. "Anywhere you're not."

"Kinda hard to, since I can be anywhere I want."

"Then go to where you want to be."

"Oh but I am," she cheekily responded.

"Move," she darkly muttered. Her patience was starting to run thin.

And she prepared to make her point when Jasmine suddenly stepped aside and said, "I suppose I can let ya go."

It took a moment for the captain to realize what had just happened, and even then all she could say was, "Pardon me?"

"I said I'm lettin' ya go." It would've been believable had it not been for the wicked grin, and the afterthought, "For now."

Alexandra gritted her teeth and continued on past the taller woman. She wanted to do something to wipe that smirk off that face of hers, but there wasn't much she could do. Neither was there anything that could be done with her incessant pestering. She'd just have to just knuckle down and deal with it whenever she would come swooping down. She'd just hope that she'd be given a reason to punch Jasmine out one of these days. Then they'll see who was smiling then.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," the rookie member, Michael, slowly drawled trying to understand what he was hearing. "All we're doing…is basically bolstering the base's defences for our contract? What are we supposed to do for fun? Shouldn't we be trying to find out whoever's harassing this base? Or better yet what about field exercises? We're just supposed to do patrols?"

"You're mostly correct, Red," the Combine warrior, Dang, calmly answered. "You have good ideas. I am planning for us to conduct training exercises; however, we'd just do it ourselves. I doubt they'll join us."

"I…I see," Michael deadpanned in disbelief.

Two days ago, Alexandra had started to assign everyone their missions and assignments, and then dispatch them. The durations ranged anywhere between 3 to 6 months. Everyone took their mission assignments in stride and went about their business prepping for their contracts before shipping out at their designated times. Yesterday, a lance consisting of Kasumi, Michael, Erno, and Dang, was headed out to one of the other factories owned by Citadel Foundations. Their general mission was to help provide mech defence for the base, and to work with the existing garrison for the duration of their contract until reinforcements arrived, who would relieve them at the end of the agreement.

Presently Dang Lance (Tim Coleman had been assigned as lance commander) was patrolling north of the base, going through a very light woodland area. Their machines towered over the forest canopy for the most part, offering them command overview of the plains further up north. Anything that attempted to approach would be seen by them.

Finding nothing so far, the members of the lance tried to keep themselves entertained by talking to one another. "What did you expect?" Erno called over the radio. "It's not like this job is any different than the last one."

"Well considering we were signing up with the Angel's Fury, I thought we'd be getting a lot more action than this," Michael sourly griped as he vaulted his Phoenix Hawk over a large clump of trees. "I mean if I realized I'd be doing more border patrols and defence missions, I'd have just renewed my contract with Citadel Foundations!"

"But would you really want to be part of an integrated command?" Dang pointedly countered, "Because if you really think about it, you'd be doing a lot less. You'd probably just do patrols or get drunk." Silence followed Dang's logical statement. He said nothing else and continued on leaving behind Michael bewildered and confused in his wake, trying to comprehend what was just said. It took their rearguard, Kasumi, passing him to break him out of his reverie, which then started a semi-frantic attempt to recover and retake his position in the formation.

"I take it that you see my point," Dang rhetorically stated. His tone wasn't teasing or condescending. It was simple and to the point.

"Yeah," Michael grumbled sourly under his breath. He could near Erno snickering a bit in the background, but said nothing more. He'd have his moment. But for now, it was for the best that he just shut up and carried on.

The patrol carried on in relatively silence for the rest of the run. Throughout the march they occasionally talked amongst one another, but for the most part general radio silence was maintained, but more due to the fact there was little to talk about. Dang's and Kasumi's silence natures, and Michael and Erno being new to the Angel's Fury attributed to it, despite the latter two having worked together on their last job. During the patrol everything was reading green, and hardly anything out of place appeared. The lance quickly and easily cleared through the every checkpoint on their route before finally returning to base where they were relieved by another team. Their mechs docked and bellies empty, the lance made haste for the mess hall.

Clapping his hands together, Michael chuckled and said, "Time to eat!"

"Somebody's hungry," Erno commented as he watched Michael grab large helpings of the meal.

"It's been a long ride," the latter pointed out and continued to grab food. Once he was satisfied with the amount he grabbed for himself, he grabbed a few cups of juice, and then grabbed the nearest available seat, sat down, and stated to eat. Everyone else decided to just ignore his behaviour and grabbed their own meals, taking appropriate portions for themselves and then sat down in a much more dignified manner. Michael simply just continued to eat his lunch.

For a while, the tattooed man looked between Michael, and Dang and Kasumi. He was somewhat baffled by the fact that the latter two simply continued to eat while looking seemingly tolerant of Michael's behaviour. While he wasn't complaining, he'd figured that they'd say something about his behaviour. They seemed like the no-nonsense type to him. At least they looked the part.

"So are we even going to see action?" Michael asked after swallowing whatever he was presently eating. At least he was polite enough to not speak with a full mouth, Erno thought.

"Considering this is a 6 month garrison mission, most likely," Dang answered after a spoonful of soup. "From my experiences, places like these will be attacked from many angles, including mech assaults, aerial bombardments, and infiltration teams. Most likely you'll get plenty of chances to fight." He raised his cup to drink and then paused in afterthought. "Although more likely than not, you'll just end up in drunken bar fights."

"Are you serious?" Michael grumbled dejectedly. He looked down at his tray and started to poke his food with a sudden lack of enthusiasm. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Your problem, not mine," Dang calmly answered. "As long as we produce results, Alexandra could care less about what we do to keep entertained."

"She sounds boring," Michael stated under his breath.

"Boring or not, I surmise she'd be more than capable of…I believe the appropriate phrase is 'kick your ass' if I remember correctly," Kasumi quietly stated from the corner. Despite receiving odd looks, she decided to ignore them and continue eating. Some of them were from people staring at her choice of hair colour, two them were from her fellow lance mates.

"First time I've heard you spoke." The deadpan comment was stated so flatly, one could assume Michael was actually asleep.

"I have little need to speak unless necessary," was the reply, coolly stated as she continued to eat. She paused eating her food and added, "Unless you wish to engage in conversation."

"No, no, I'm good," he quickly stated raising his hands up in surrender. It was more to protect his sanity than anything else. He just had this odd feeling that she wasn't going to be that much fun to poke and prod at all. For that matter, he took a moment to get a good look at both Dang and Kasumi, and mentally groaned when he realized that they were both former Combine citizens. The worst part was the way they carried themselves told him everything: they behaved like a typical member of that state. There was no way he was going to get a rise out of them. Besides, they were really boring people anyways. Sighing in defeat he decided to continue eating his food.

"So is there anything in particular we're doing after lunch?" Erno asked curiously, eyeing the lance commander. He wasn't sure of what to make of him yet. But time would tell him everything he needed to know.

Dang for his part shrugged. "Unless you want to do some training, I haven't the faintest."

"So then…what do you do for fun?"

He took a moment to drink his juice before answering. "Honestly, whatever I fancy at a given moment."

"Such as?" he pressed on, thinking that there had to be more to his statement than he was letting on.

"Could be a number of things," he answered with another shrug. "Take a nap, report back to Alexandra, work on my mech, or play chess with anyone willing and patient enough," the last statement he emphasized with a sidelong glance towards Michael, "or anything that I feel like. Honestly garrison duty is boring. Add on to the fact that this is a relatively quiet area; we're not going to be seeing much action throughout the contract. Remember that I merely said there are many avenues of attack," he stated recognising the look on Michael's face. "It doesn't mean that there will be that many attacks. Unless the enemy has a particular grudge, or desperately needs this facility, they'll probably dance around the issue.

"Besides, even if someone wanted to overtake the company, they'd have to overtake the whole planet. Citadel Foundations has a planetary presence. Also people would be stupid to attack, as they'd risk mobilizing any nearby units, including the rest of the Furies who could easily hot drop down in a heartbeat."

"I…I see," Erno mumbled, feeling a little stumped from the sudden info dump.

"And honestly there's little for us to train on," Dang added on, and then pointed to Erno. "We're the frontline elements of the lance, what with our axes and such. Kasumi is our sniper/long-range support. And Michael here, with his speed and manoeuvrability, can alternate between long-range combat and mid-range support. As long as we stay clear of Kasumi's line of fire, we're good."

"I…I suppose…"

"Oh cheer up," Michael stated and clapped Erno's shoulder. "If someone tries to attack you, I'll just shoot their head off. It's as simple as that."

"I suppose," he stated again and sighed slumping over his food.

"Hey, hey, don't you go depressed on me," the Phoenix Hawk pilot stated, and pulled Erno back into an upright position. "We'll kick ass, you'll see!"

Erno let out another sigh. "I wish I had your confidence," he mumbled.

* * *

Over the week, the lance fell into a normal routine. Every morning they'd wake up, eat breakfast and go about basic maintenance on their mechs before deploying on their regular patrol run. They'd patrol for a couple hours. They kept themselves entertained mostly by conversing with one another. Most of the time, Dang and Kasumi opted to just listen in on the conversations between Erno and Michael. But occasionally they would contribute if they had something to say.

The patrols itself were quiet. The most they ever saw were the local wildlife that would flee as the giant machines approached. Otherwise they had yet to have a contact that was of any concern. The occasional helicopter would also pass over them, but they were all delivery units to the production facility they were guarding.

After each patrol, they'd have lunch together, and from there their activities varied from day to day. On one day, Erno and Michael sat down and watched Dang and Kasumi play chess together. They had been surprisingly entertained at the rate the two were playing. They understood how the game worked and the rules, but to watch each of them make moves under a minute each was surprising. Occasionally there were points where the two of them would make a move within 10 seconds of each other, each taking only a mere moment to assess the board and then attack, counter-attack, or defend.

On another day, they all split off to do their own things. Kasumi took refuge under the shade of a small grove of trees within the courtyard and watched the local garrison go about their daily lives. Erno headed to the local bar and drank. Michael hung out with some of the garrison. And Dang spent a part of the day reporting back to Alexandra, and the rest of it working on his mech. On other days they did things together, but it wasn't of much notice; at least in their opinion. There was the fact that Michael nearly dragged them all into a drunken bar fight, but Dang and Kasumi pre-empted Michael's involvement before it had degraded that far.

And today was proving to be like any other day. To mix up their usual schedule, Dang decided to take the lance on a different route through their patrol zone. It wasn't much, but it was better than trudging through the same trail they had been going through over the past week. Besides the change in route, there wasn't much different in their patrol. It was still the same conversations between Erno and Michael, and it was still a clear across all bands. There was nothing but forest and plains. There was idle wondering if any of the other patrols were coming up with anything, but that wasn't likely at the moment. But regardless, Dang lance remained vigilant and continued on their patrol. At the very least if something went wrong, they could say they did their part.

"And to think, we're doing this for 3 months," Michael sourly griped. It was hot, and the glaring sun wasn't helping one bit. Without a doubt, if there was an issue with the cooling vest, he'd probably be roasting right now. Glancing down at the thermometer, he frowned reading the gauge. It was acceptable, but combat would definitely cause issues. He really didn't want his cockpit to suddenly become a sauna. Besides, that's what the real saunas are for. And they're good for the skin!

Everyone immediately fell silent as the radio squawked to life. "All units, return to base. Enemy units are encroaching upon the base."

"Time we earn our pay," Dang declared, and banked his Hatchetman hard right.

"Finally some action," Michael exclaimed as the Nightsky and Phoenix Hawk followed Dang's lead, making hard turns either direction. The Marauder on the other hand slowed and essentially pivoted on the spot, and moved to follow, albeit at a much lower speed. Moving into formation, the lance made best speeds towards the base. In the distance, they could already see a display of explosions, fire, tracers, and missiles flying all around. Anticipation hung heavily on the four of them. Hardly a thing could stop their rapid advance, easily ploughing through trees and debris like a hot knife through butter. Michael was especially excited and he started to jump over everything just to get to the action that much sooner. Erno and Dang were much more restrained, and fell back and allowed the Phoenix Hawk to take point. Despite lagging behind, Kasumi continued on her steady march towards the direction of combat.

"What shall be our course of action?" Kasumi calmly asked.

"Not sure at the moment," Dang replied in the same manner. "Just maintain formation and cover our backs for now. We'll go from there."

"Roger lead," Kasumi replied back. Operating her controls, she started to bring her combat systems online. From her seat, she could feel the vibrant hum of the engine as it brought her PPCs and Gauss rifle online.

"Buh bye sucker!" Michael screamed as his Phoenix Hawk leapt up and fired. His chuckle could be heard across all bands. "Headshot!" he cried out as his Hawk landed with a resounding thump.

Clearing through the forest, Dang suddenly cried out in surprise as his Hatchetman was thrown onto its back.

"Oh crap," Erno cried out, narrowly dodging an AC20 round. "We've got Luckners!"

Skidding to a stop, Kasumi narrowly kept her balance in the patch of mud she was in. She took several steps back and kneeled down, taking advantage of the cover of the forest. She quickly scanned the battlefield before lining her reticule on top of one the battle tanks. Her sights lined straight onto the turret, she unleashed a full battery of two PPCs and her gauss rifle. From the corner of her eye, she watched as the signature lightning bolt of another PPC lanced at her target. Moments later her HUD flashed as the turret and ammo exploded, utterly decimating the tank.

"Impressive," she quietly commented, catching a glimpse of Michael's Hawk before it disappeared in the forest again. Turning her attention back to the battlefield in front of her, she searched for her next target. Alarms blared warning her of incoming missiles. Instincts taking over, she torso twisted hard as her Marauder began to rock horribly against the sudden missile barrage. She grunted from suddenly banging her head against her console.

Dang blinked a few times as he slowly came to. Shaking out the stars in his eyes, he looked around to realize that he was on his back. "Bloody hell," he grumbled. Grabbing the controls, he started to bring his Hatchetman back onto its feet, while everything else around him was quickly devolving to even worse levels of hell. Eventually clamouring onto his feet, he took a moment to assess his surroundings, screaming in surprise as he dodged an AC20 round to his head.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" he exclaimed angrily. Firing his jump jets, he vaulted up and over the tree line and landed straight down atop the nearest tank, crushing its turret in the process. "Dang Lance, report status," he called out.

"Terrorwolf here," Erno called out in response.

"Is this a good time for this?" Michael screamed out in bewilderment, all the while dodging a storm of laser fire.

"Angel, ready op," Kasumi muttered weakly, and shook her head to clear the fuzz from the sudden impact of the missile barrage.

"At least we're all alright," Dang shouted back. "Angel you alright?"

"I will be," she answered back. "But I fear I will have to see a physician afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan," he answered back as he sidestepped laser fire before returning fire. Instincts kicking in, he sidestepped and swung around. His Hatchetman faltered in its step as a fury of SRMs shattered the armour off its left arm. However, it wasn't enough to deter its continuing swing as it embedded itself into the canopy of Assassin that had been behind it. Dang smiled in grim satisfaction to see blood lightly coating the blade of his weapon. He had killed the pilot.

Meanwhile, once she had regained her orientation, Kasumi extricated her Marauder from the muck she was in. But she hadn't done that unscathed. Quickly going over damage reports, she realized to her dismay that her right PPC was down. She frowned, but thought nothing more of it. Storming out of the woods, she took a moment to look around and gain her bearings. Not a moment sooner did she start to move, another AC20 round come screaming down on where she had stood moments ago. Reflexes snapping like a wire under tension, she swung her mech over and locked on, firing her remaining PPC and Gauss rifle at the Von Luckner battle tank. She watched in satisfaction as the close range attack pierced the armour. Her eyes glimmered watching it suddenly explode. Clearly she had hit an ammo bin.

Jolting in his seat, Michael cackled from the rush of combat. His Phoenix Hawk had taken hits, but he was no worse for wear. Hiding behind the tree line, he eyed his next target. A wayward Catapult was slowly limping away from the battle. Apparently someone was stupid enough to bring a long-range fighter into someone's attack range. A lesson in being smart was in order. The new-comer smiled gleefully and lined up his reticule on a very nice-looking opening in the back of its torso. This was going to be sweet. Switching to his ER PPC, he bided his time for the perfect opening. He occasionally glanced around to check his surroundings, but otherwise his eye was on the prize. His patience paid off. Back fully exposed, he pulled the trigger.

"GLORIOUS!" he roared aloud, cackling ever more as he watched the Catapult explode with an almighty bang. Fire and debris flew everywhere in all directions. The surrounding forest began to burn, but what did he care. Then in the corner of his eye, he bore witness to Kasumi's Marauder take down two more mechs with well placed PPC and Gauss rifle shots. He huffed. Clearly she was trying to steal his thunder all the while maintain an air of superiority.

"You're on," he muttered, and looked around for his next prey.

Nearby, Erno narrowly dodged yet another AC20 round to his mech, but ended up falling into the attack line of laser and SRM fire. His displays flashed warnings of armour damage, but he ignored it. Instead, he flicked a switch and watched as his mech reared its leg back and kicked, smashing away what little armour was left on its front. Without missing a beat, he pulled the trigger and vaporized the crew inside with a deadly stream of laser. Turning away from the wreckage, his mech stumbles back and nearly topples over. Clearing the stars, he lurched forward and burrowed the arm mounted hatchet deep into his attack's torso. It took him a few moments to realize that he had just caught a Quickdraw. Not missing a beat, he armed his PPC and fired.

Nothing happened.

"The hell?" he exclaimed and glanced down at his weapons display. His eyes snapped to his left and looked out of the canopy to realize to his horror that the mech was missing its left forearm. "Damn it!" Quickly switching weapons, he unleashed a barrage of pulse fire onto the Quickdraw. And at the distance he was his small pulse laser easily bore through the Quickdraw's head and into the cockpit, killing the pilot within seconds. Pulling on his controls, he could hear the metal loudly groan in protest. The dead mech was refusing to release the weapon, but he wasn't going to relent either. Pulling his throttle to full reverse, he activated his mech's leg and kicked. He smirked somewhat as he wrenched his weapon free, while also tearing off more of the armour of the fallen mech.

"Form up on me," Dang called out, firing his jump jets to get clear of a barrage of missiles that were raining down on him. He hardly registered their replies, trusting them to actually perform the command. Taking cover in a cluster of trees, he looked out into the battlefield to get an assessment of what was going on. It looked like only half of the garrison had been able to react in time, and even half of that force was starting to fall apart. But at least it looked like they had managed to repel the attackers.

"Well this is joyous," he muttered under his breath. He switched to another frequency. "Base, this is Dang, do you copy?"

"Dang lance, this is base, we read you 5-by-5."

"Base, what's the situation, and please advise," he replied back quickly.

"Well yours and the second patrol's returns saved our asses," the operator replied back. "Just keep doing what you're doing. We can't risk spreading our forces too thin. We're already fighting two fronts."

"Roger base, Dang out." No sooner did he end the connection did Kasumi's mech cleared through a dense layer of trees and approached him. A few moments later Erno's and Michael's machines jumped over and landed next to him.

"So what's the plan?" Erno asked again.

"Keep up the good work," Dang replied back. "You think you can work less an arm?"

"I've had worse," Erno replied.

"I'll take what I can," the Combine man chuckled. "Angel, status?"

"One of my PPCs is defunct," she replied back. "But I've been adapting."

"Better no weapons," he commented. He then turned his attention to the Phoenix Hawk, and blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "Red, how the hell did you survive with only burns?"

"Uh…I'm just that good?"

"Never mind that," he muttered. "Alright, the plan is simple: we'll come in from the outside and start taking them out one by one. They've already got their hands full fighting what's left of the defence. Anything else and they'll probably start to collapse. Any questions?" No one said another gave him the indicating that they understood the plan. "Alright, follow me!" Throwing the throttle forward, he led his lance through the forest and around the combat. Quickly reaching the edge, Dang spied out the targets before coming to a decision: "Take out that Griffin!"

"YAHOO!" Michael suddenly screamed out and vaulted clear over the trees.

"The hell?"

"Red, what are you doing?"

"It appears he's engaging the enemy," Kasumi deadpanned as she hunkered down at the edge of the forest and prepared to attack. "I suggest you engage your next target. This shan't be long."

"You sure?"

She answered by firing. The target's head was completely severed. "Positive."

"Uh…"

"Dang…remind me to NEVER piss her off…"

"Yeah…c'mon…let's move on…"

Ahead of them, Michael frowned in annoyance. That was supposed to be his kill. No matter, he boosted ahead again and took cover behind a series of trees and took aim at a Dragon. His grin widened as he fired. His ER PPC easily pierced through the cockpit and vaporized yet another pilot. He was about to whoop in cheer when he suddenly saw another mech topple over as its leg joints were suddenly blown to pieces. He traced the attack back to Kasumi who had just taken another target down.

"Curses," he growled. "I'll beat you yet Kasumi. That's a promise!"

"Red, can whatever it is you're rambling about," Dang yelled out and smashed his sword into his opponent, relieving it of its right arm.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled and carried on, with much less enthusiasm. At least for now.

The battle carried on for only a few more minutes before their side ended with the surrender of the surviving attackers. All survivors were promptly gathered and given medical attention, and then detained until further notice.

The battle had been fierce, and the garrison had suffered heavy damage. At least half of the mech force was out of commission, with the other half requiring heavy repairs, including those from the Angel's Fury. Dang and Michael had walked away relatively unscathed, but more so for the latter than the former. At least the Phoenix Hawk merely needed to replace a few sections of armour. The Hatchetman, however, had suffered an engine hit when it took the one AC20 round to the torso, and its left arm was suffering from myomer damage. The Marauder and Nightsky, however, would need the greatest amount of work. The Nightsky needed a completely new left arm, and the Marauder's right arm needed to be dismantled completely to replace the wiring for its PPC.

After docking their mechs, Dang had sent everyone for a quick shower. They all needed it. He had no doubt that they all had overworked their mechs a bit. He had been sweating buckets by the end of that. Taking that engine hit hadn't been particularly helpful to his already overworked coolant system.

* * *

After that much needed shower, he met up with the rest of his lance, and headed down to one of the many boardrooms where a debriefing was held to go over what had happened in the battle. It had been pleasantly short and simple. Once everything was covered, they were all dismissed and left to do whatever they pleased for the rest of the day. All patrols had their range temporarily reduced, to keep them near the base in case of an emergency.

Entering the mess hall, Dang joined the line-up for food. Thankfully the kitchen staff had ample amounts of food, and worked quickly and efficiently, serving everyone who walked in through the doors. So it was no surprise that he was quickly served his meal and was well on his way to filling his belly. He looked around before spotting the familiar platinum-dyed hair of Kasumi. He made his way over and sat down across from her, who had tied her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of her food.

"Quite a day," he mumbled and immediately dug into his food. It tasted like heaven.

"Agreed," Kasumi murmured as she continued to eat as well.

Their quiet meal was quickly derailed when Michael stormed into the mess hall and made a beeline straight for Kasumi. "You," he growled while pointing an accusatory finger at the platinum haired woman. "It's on now! You, and me, to see who _is_ the best sniper!"

Kasumi had to blink a few times to understand what just happened. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb," he shot back in a haughty manner. "I saw what you did there. I'm just here to let you know that you're on!" He nodded fiercely, turned around on the balls of his feet, and marched out of the room. Everyone else could only dumbly stare at the door he disappeared through.

"Well…the boss really knows how to pick 'em," Dang muttered bewilderedly. He wasn't even sure what had happened.

"I'm inclined to agree," Kasumi replied softly. "He is going to be…an interesting addition to the team."


	10. Chapter 10

**Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels**

**Chapter XI**

The Fury operative found it novel that the client wanted to meet her in an abandoned church; but more specifically, inside a confessional. Alone and armed, she waited. Arms crossed and feet propped up on the wall precariously balanced on the edge of her chair, she had the perfect view of the hall and door through the crack of the curtains. Her left hand was resting comfortably atop her bandolier of knives. Her right was ready to draw her pistol. Legs were ready to push her out into a roll. Yep, she was ready to roll. Her eyes never wavered from the crack in the curtains. She still found it amusing that they wanted to meet her in such a place. She'll have to remember this.

"It's good to see you've come as agreed."

At least the employer was punctual. "You realize you're asking for something quite underhanded."

She watched as the silhouette of the man shrugged. "The employer wishes for this to be dealt with…quietly."

"That's obvious," the operative deadpanned. "Who's the hit?"

The informant opened what sounded like a briefcase and slipped a manila folder through the bottom of the divider. "Complete intel of everything you need to know: habits, guard rotations, the works."

She picked up the folder and quietly browsed through the documents. It was _very_ thorough. "You realize he's technically not military."

"I could care less," the man stated disinterestedly. "Employer was very specific."

"And what about civilians?"

"Zero casualties?"

The operative raised her eyebrow. "I see." She closed the manila folder and let out a slow breath. She hadn't heard that statement in a long time. "Is there anything else?"

"Just make sure he's dealt with," the man stated. He then slipped something else underneath the crack. "Thought you'd might want something to deal with any…detection." A soft rustling indicated that he had stood up. "We'll expect results."

Her smile shifted into a confident grin and picked up the small device. "Don't worry. I'm the best in the business."

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It was nice to actually be out and about in the sun like this, instead of being on a ship, or in the cockpit of a battlemech. The operative easily navigated her way through the afternoon crowd. Pausing by a small vendor, she offered the old man a pleasant smile as she purchased his fruits and continued on her way. She made a few mental notes over odd things that came and went. This town seemed to be full of immigrants. That had to have been at least the 5th white person she saw in this Arabic community. Other than that she made little contact with the population. Reaching her hotel building, she silently slipped inside and made her way to the elevator. Amusement continued to glimmer within her russet eyes when she reached her floor and exited the elevator. She glanced around. Everything looked cleared. Drawing her key she entered her room.

Hearing the distinctive click of the door latch, Olivia Scarlet finally allowed herself to relax. Discarding the cloak, she unclasped her bag and tossed it in the direction of her desk, and fell face first into the mattress. It had been a few years since she had taken up a mission like this. Almost a decade to be precise. The last time she had taken up this kind of mission was before she had stepped up as 2nd company captain.

She took up this mission when she came across it when sorting missions with Alexandra. Officially it was an Objective Raid. A closer inspection revealed to her as a carefully hidden assassination. She felt guilty when she tricked her goddaughter into letting her take the mission without really reading the paper. However, she was sure that she would've seen through the ruse after a few good reads. She had told her that she'd bring others with her. That had been half a lie. She did take a lance with her, but told them that they were on vacation, and she'd cover everything. When questioned, she merely stated she was conducting the raid on her own. They had attempted to argue. No one argued with one of the students of Alexandra's mother. And thankfully due to the 'sensitivity' of the mission, they would maintain radio silence. Alexandra would be none the wiser.

Renting a shuttle, she headed to this backwater city on her own and set up base camp here within this hotel earlier this morning. She knew that if Alex ever found out she'd be furious. And unless she was as cutthroat as her mother was, she'd most likely cancel the contract, or handle it differently. Her mother would've recognised the necessity of discretion. She was a lot more open with underhanded missions like these: Silence and verbal reports only. She never had the opportunity to teach that to Alexandra. If she had been taught, maybe she would've brought this to Alexandra's attention. Perhaps it was time to tell her about this aspect.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, she decided to double-check her gear, and then get started on the material. Getting off the bed, she knelt before her suitcase in one corner of the room and opened it. It was nothing more than a bag full of clothes. That soon changed when she opened up a hidden compartment to reveal a disassembled sniper rifle. She quickly scanned through the contents, making sure that everything was accounted for and then closed it. She quickly opened up a second compartment with a hidden SMG. Again she gave it a cursory look through and then closed it off. Assured that everything was ready to go, she rummaged through her belongings and brought out her pencil case.

She let stood up and stretched until she felt her back pop. She sighed happily and proceeded to sit down at her desk. As she sat down, she jumped in surprise. She reached into her pocket pulling out a pocket device. She gave it a cursory glance and then tapped a button to clear the message. Settling into her seat, she opened up the dossier and began to read through the extensive report. A fond grin graced her features. "Thorough as ever," she murmured.

When she had finally finished the dossier, she realized she spent nearly 4 hours reading the document. It was one hell of an extensive document. She closed the folder and stood up stretching out the kinks from sitting down for so long. She put the dossier back in her bag and strapped it back on and came to a sudden realization: "I'm hungry," she stated aloud. She grabbed her poncho and headed out the door, locking it behind her as she left.

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Olivia stepped out onto the street scanned the street before her. What was there to eat in this town? And for that matter, where were all the restaurants? She decided to leave it to chance and pulled out a coin and flipped. She caught it and opened her palm: heads. With her course determined she pocketed the coin and turned right. Calmly strolling down the street she'd occasionally glance from side to side, taking in whatever caught her eye. She noticed a few vendors as she passed, but none of them looked really appetising.

It actually was a really nice evening. The breeze was quite pleasant. She couldn't remember the last time she really experienced such a beautiful night like this. The orange glow brought a certain charm to this town, she thought. She just wished she wasn't here on the job so she could really enjoy the view. This would probably be a very nice vacation spot. Maybe after this job, she'd bring Alexandra and Celina here for a couple weeks to relax. She did remember the younger sister mentioning the two of them hardly spent time together anymore. And the more she considered it, the more she liked it. It would also give her a chance to really get reacquainted with the two of them again. She owed it to her friend.

She paused in midstride and pulled out her pocket device again. She grinned recognising the number. Pulling the wireless earpiece from its mount, she hooked it onto her ear.

"Hey Richard, long time no talk," she happily greeted. "How are you?" She stepped out from the flow of traffic and leaned against the wall of a building looking into the crowd. "Not bad, not bad," she answered jovially into the phone. She paused to let the person speak. Her eyes landed on a particular venue of interest. Her eyes lit up in surprise and wonder. "Oh wow, really? She's pregnant? Congratulations!" The surprise and joy was evident across her visage.

She pushed off of the wall and rejoined the crowd. "I'm doing well actually. My niece just recently graduated from University, snagged a managerial position almost immediately." She paused for a moment as she navigated out of the crowd to take a good look at the location itself. She nodded to herself; it looked like a respectable bar. "She wouldn't tell me anything. I'm guessing she doesn't want to let me in on what the company is doing just yet. I don't know. I just know that she's happy," she pushed the door open and entered, "but I'm not entirely sure about her sister though. I wish I could do something about it, but I'm really busy most of the time." She moved the mouthpiece away and said to the waitress, "I'll just sit myself down. Thank you."

She released the mouthpiece allow it to rest against her cheek again. "I really wish I could visit, but you know I can't. I hardly even get to see my own nieces for more than a few days." She deftly navigated through the crowd and tried to speak against the overbearing background noise. "I know, and I don't like it, especially since Kigiku passed away." Finally breaking through the crowd, she sat down in a private corner. She sighed heavily in annoyance. "She's closing off from everyone," she explained while giving the crowd a scan. "I really don't know what to do. I'm just hoping I can drag both of them out here. Maybe that'll help her loosen up." She smiled and politely declined another waitress's service. "Listen, I've gotta go, but it really was nice talking to you. I'll give you a call when I get the chance. Please, give your wife my regards and congratulations. Cheers." She removed the earpiece placing it back on its mount, and pocketed the device.

She took off her poncho and placed it down next to her. She leaned back trying getting the best view she could. Now that her attention wasn't divided, she became increasingly aware of the heavy music that blasted through the room. The bass, pounding and pounding, resounded in her chest in tune with the beating of her heart. She watched dispassionately as patrons on the floor danced and swayed in time with the beat; grasping and groping one another; kissing and caressing, not even knowing who they were dancing with. The scent of lust hung heavily in the air that she felt the overbearing feel heavy upon her chest.

Olivia shook her head at the sight before her. It wasn't one of the seedier bars in town. But it had its share of undesirables. Her eyes eventually landed on a nice looking boy who seemed quite nervous, and perhaps a bit lonely. Quietly pushing up off the table, she slowly sauntered towards the bar.

She lightly smiled as her following slowly trailed her. She could feel their eyes on her, watching the gentle sway of her hips, the supple curves of her waist, and the size of her ample bosom. No matter the discretion, it couldn't fool her eyes. Men, and most women, were predictable that way. As she stepped up to the bar flagging down the barkeep, she crossed her arms below her breasts and leaned forward, further accentuating her assets. Their eyes predictably wandered, despite their best attempts not to.

"Barkeep, bottle of Keiths," she called out flashing the barkeep a seductive smile. She reached over and accepted the drink, slowly caressing his hand. The look on his face was priceless. She cracked the bottle open taking a swig of it followed by a contented sigh as the cool liquid quenched her parched throat. She glanced over towards the young man next to her and flashed him a pleasant smile and greeted gently and seductively, "Hey there." Her smile widened watching his flustered reaction.

"Uh…hi," the man sputtered in confusion and surprise. His eyes shifted uncomfortably back and forth.

"How's it going?" she asked taking another swig of her beer. Her eyes glimmered in amusement at the stiff nod. "I think I'll bring my nieces here the next time I come here. I'd think they'd enjoy the weather."

"You…you think so?" the man quietly asked.

Olivia laughed. Boys like him were absolutely predictable. "Although I'd think the younger of the two would enjoy it more," she commented wistfully, taking another swig of her beer. "She always was more outgoing than her sister." She took another swig of her beer as she mulled over something. "You have any young nieces or nephews?"

"No," he answered, drinking his own beer. "Got a kid brother," he muttered quietly.

Olivia hummed, mostly to herself. She opened her mouth to speak again, but based on the way he was nervously looking at her, she decided to drop the matter. She offered him an apologetic smile and decided to back off on her advances. The poor boy looked like he was about to fall apart at the seams. She kept silence and decided to look at the enormous shelf of liquor. She whistled in appreciation at the sheer amount of alcohol the bar stocked. Whoever owned the bar really knew what sorts to carry. Across to her left, she watched as a group of girls huddled with one another, excitedly whisper back and forth giggling. To her right, she watched with great interest as men made poor attempts at picking up a few women. She rolled her eyes. Poor examples of what a gentleman should be. Putting down her empty bottle, she gathered up her poncho and moved to leave. She took hardly a steep when she suddenly tripped and fell onto the boy.

"Oh damn it, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed, backing up away from the boy, panic-stricken.

"No…no it's alright," he mumbled, looking down at his drenched shirt. He offered her a sheepish smile. "Always seem to happen to me, y'know?"

"I'm really sorry," she frantically apologized. "Let me at least pay for your drink, it's the least I can do."

"No, it's alright, really," he weakly assured, his eyes traveling towards something more appealing. "I…I'm used to it…"

"You sure?" she asked, crossing her arms beneath her bosom. "Could I at least pay for your shirt?"

"Miss…please…just….let me be," he sighed.

"If you insist," she sighed. She gave him another apologetic smile. She turned to leave, but paused in midstride, as if a thought suddenly crossed her mind. She turned back to the boy and said, "It's the least I can do." And then she kissed his cheek. She winked coyly at him and then walked away, giggling at the look that had been plastered across his face.

The young man for his part simply sighed and shook his head. He slowly reached up and touched the cheek she had just kissed. That was one hot lady.

Olivia stepped out and rejoined the crowd, blending in with the sea of beige and tan as she pulled her hood up. And as she walked, the grim line of a smirk crawled up upon her seductive visage. All too quickly, the sultry cougar morphed into the merciless huntress, who had triumphantly stalked, hunted, and killed her prey. She wondered how long it would take before he realized it was too late.

"You lose," she whispered. Her eyes bore a light psychotic glint as she grinned.

That had been a refreshing exercise in basic tailing. An exercise that had cost her tail his life. She could still remember all the basic lessons she had been taught in tailing one's target, and he had failed miserably.

"Remember Olivia, the basic rule of blending in is to become your story." A young 15-year-old Olivia nodded understandingly. Going through a final prep, she was preparing for yet another practical test of locating and tailing her target. And overseeing it was her instructor: Kigiku Carter, captain of the 2nd company, and mother of her charges Alexandra and Celina Carter.

The Imperator had docked last week, and Kigiku decided that it was time for another exercise. Today's activity involved the nearby city where her mark was already in the city, unaware of what was about to transpire.

"I understand," she stated. "What's the restriction?"

The older woman merely shrugged her shoulders. "Use your best judgement. I'll see you aboard the Imperator." And somehow, even carrying her 2-year-old Celina, Kigiku donned the look of the menacing commander well. Her hair was dark as the blackness of space, held back in a low ponytail that reached her mid back. Her razor thin eyebrows arched ever so slightly, as her eyes of auburn stared down at her expectantly, demanding nothing but results. Her posture exuded nothing but confidence. Her shoulders set and squared away, she stood tall and proud. Dressed with only a sleeve-less black t-shirt to cover her torso, Olivia could see the edges of a massive and complex tapestry of art peeking out around her shoulders and neck. A former warrior of the Combine, she was the epitome of death incarnate.

And despite the mask of cold indifference that the woman donned, she was the woman whom Olivia called friend, and her saviour.

Nodding, Olivia turned and marched towards the city, and quietly blended into the stream of pedestrians.

She knew who her target was: Tanya Nguyen. Olivia knew that Tanya could already blend in scarily well when she wasn't trying. She understood the reason why Kigiku wanted her to tail Tanya: one day, she just might have to hunt down people of a higher calibre than her.

Walking through the streets, she went over the various adages and phrases she had been taught by Kigiku about being an assassin. Her favourite was this: "Nothing is true; everything's permitted." It may be mired in age, but even to this day it held true for all assassins. She couldn't take what she saw at face value. Everything always had to be considered. And watching it in practical applications always sent a chill up her spine whenever she thought about it.

Like now: as she casually strolled through the street. She was dressed in a simple red-t and cargo shorts. She looked like the average 15-year-old girl wandering the streets window-shopping. But yet hidden underneath this guise was a trained killer, armed with knives, a small pistol, and the knowledge to incapacitate or kill a person in more than a hundred ways. And to the average person, none would ever be the wiser.

She casually scanned the streets, searching for her quarry. At the same time, she browsed the wares for anything of interest. She had the entire day to finish this, and patience was a large part of surveillance. She was never fond of searching her mark, but she knew the importance of it. She had to go through drill after drill after drill to perfect her discipline. And every time she went out to the field, she'd get better and better.

The fact she was taken in and trained in the first place was a blessing unto itself. If she hadn't convinced Kigiku to take her along and train her in whatever she wanted, she'd probably be still on that godforsaken planet either still fighting for her life, or already raped and dead along with every other weakling out there.

Her eyes caught a sudden particular flash of movement in her peripherals. Suppressing base reactions, attributed to many years of training and discipline, she continued on her way along the path. She eventually stopped by a nearby shop and scanned its wares, and glanced to her left.

Wrong target.

She huffed like any child her age, slamming down the book she had been reading back onto the table. She jumped in surprise at her own lapse of discipline. She offered the clerk an apologetic smile. She slowly backed off and faded back into the steady stream of people and resumed her hunt. Looking for Tanya was like the proverbial needle in a haystack. She was just that damn good.

Hardly half-an-hour passed, and she was getting frustrated. She _knew_ she was getting frustrated, and needed to calm down. She slipped out of the massive traffic of people and leaned against a wall. She took a slow and deep breath, feeling the air fill her lungs as her belly slowly expanded. And as she exhaled, it felt as if a portion of her worries and frustrations left her with her breath. She took another and repeated the process, continuing for the next 5 or so minutes. She eventually opened her eyes, feeling renewed and ready to resume her hunt.

"What would she do on a day off," she quietly questioned herself. To tail a survey a particular target, learn the habits and quirks of the mark. Knowing what they did, who they hung out with, what their timetables were like, it was a necessity to facilitate surveillance.

And then it hit her. "She likes music." And it was with renewed vigour that she pushed off the wall, and dived into back into the mass, questioning and searching for the location of any and all possible locations. Never asking in a given area more than once, she jumped from area to area, like a ping-pong ball on the court, asking around narrowing down her search until she was sure she had all the locations. Her questions eventually led her to a conclusion: only one place sold music.

Even with her desire to find her prey, the asset needed to stay calm. Memories of being told to stay calm at all times rung in her mind. It took all her willpower to not suddenly rush straight to the music store where she was sure Tanya would spend hours just browsing through music, listening to samples for whatever caught her interest. Olivia could already see it: the look of amusement as she scanned the selection; the gentle bobbing of her head to the beat of whatever she was listening to; the wide grin as she chatted with other fellow music enthusiasts. She was also probably wearing her hair in its usual off-center ponytail.

Her efforts finally paid off when she entered the store. And Tanya did exactly what she predicted: chatting with a fellow music enthusiast with gusto. Her rust-coloured hair was definitely in her signature style. Olivia didn't share Tanya's infinite passion of music, but she had her fair share of it. She browsed through the aisle before coming across a particular genre of music that caught her eye. She glanced down at her watch before deciding to take a look through the selection. Occasionally, she'd glanced up through her peripheral vision, keeping track of her mark.

She lightly quirked an eyebrow catching the subtle signs that Tanya suddenly became aware of something. Olivia watched her politely excuse herself and walked towards the exit. She silently cursed herself for being so careless. The mark was now aware of her presence, and started to implement counter-surveillance techniques. Her mind worked as it tried to put together a strategy. She needed to keep track of her target for as long as possible. She glanced at her watch and took note of the time. She'd wait for a few minutes and then she'd follow her out. Unfortunately, she'd have to reacquire the target first, without being caught.

"Just my luck," she muttered under her breath. While passing the time, she mulled over what she needed to do, and how to avoid being spotted. She'd definitely need to make sure her cover story stay. And then a thought hit her. "I wonder if that would work…" It was a gamble, but if it worked, the payout would be well in her favour. She eventually put down the wares she was browsing and headed out. She glanced down at the dirt. There were footprints. Tanya's footprints. She recognised those boot prints anywhere.

"Not bad," she muttered and followed after them. She found her once; she was confident she'd find her again. She eventually rejoined the crowd and allowed the current to pull her along. Her eyes surveyed back and forth across the street, catching sight of a number of various shop and stalls that would piqué her attention from time to time. Her stride was easy, and casual. Something in her gut told her that Tanya would be in this direction.

Her eye glanced towards her left catching wisps of red. She slowly drifted towards the sighting, and glanced towards the left side of the row of stalls. She headed towards one that looked 'promising'. Eying the wares and observed through her peripheral vision. Her expression was cool and relaxed, but it was as she feared. Tanya was starting to employ counter-surveillance techniques. And at this point her best defence was to keep her cover.

She visibly looked up in Tanya's general direction, and then looked down, only to suddenly look up in sudden realization. "Hey Tanya, is that you?" she called out, abandoning the kiosk in favour of saying hello to her friend.

Said friend muttered, "Hey," while casually staring off into the steady crowd. She was definitely on edge, and the sudden appearance of a friend only concerned her more.

Olivia's expression turned concerned. "You alright?"

"Not sure," she murmured distractedly. "C'mon, not here." Tanya led them into a nearby bar, taking refuge in the farthest corner from prying eyes, and away from hidden ears. And despite how relaxed she looked as she leaned back against the seat, Olivia could tell there was something bothering the senior assassin quite a bit.

"I think I'm being followed," she bluntly stated.

"What?" she exclaimed in complete surprise.

Tanya gave her a stern look, but said nothing else regarding her outburst. "I'm concerned that someone may be after me. Call me paranoid, but considering the line of business we're in, I'm not taking any chances." Her expression was calm and collected. There was even a hint of a smile plastered across.

"That's fair enough," Olivia slowly agreed. "But who do you think would be following you?"

"Not sure," she admitted with a reluctant sigh. "It could be any of my previous marks. Or possibly someone who just has an interest in having members of our company dead. This does have me concerned though."

"What do you recommend then?"

"Go about the day until the tail leaves," she instructed quietly. She smiled at the waitress who gave them menus. Picking it up she began to read through it. "If the tail is smart, the person will break contact to maintain anonymity. If it's a rookie, we'll just lure him or her in, take out the target, and then interrogate. And if necessary, terminate the target afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan," the young charge agreed. While she lacked field experience compared to Tanya, she had been out on her share of missions with Kigiku and other operatives, assisting them on an as-needed basis. Her life before meeting the Angel's Fury had well prepared her for the training that Kigiku had given her over the past 3 years.

"For now, get something to eat," Tanya stated. "It's best that we go about this on a full stomach. No use in trying to shake a tail if we're hungry."

"I don't know…remember the one time Anthony had to go through that one fight on an empty stomach?" Olivia pointed out, remembering a particularly humorous combat encounter.

Tanya snorted at the memory. "That idiot can do just about anything at the promise of food," she muttered under her breath. "Besides, that's nothing compared to now. At least in a battlemech, you can usually tell that you're being followed."

"Hypocrite," the redhead calmly stated. "You managed to pull that shit off with your freaken Hermes! I mean with that ECM Nadia fixed up and MASC, you could probably trail someone for quite a while, and then hightail it out of there without being noticed!"

At least Tanya had the decency to blush as she looked away. "Okay…you have a point there…"

The younger girl smirked victoriously. She waved down the waitress and ordered a couple shots of tequila. She received a look of surprise that demanded to know what she was doing. "Not like a shot will do anything, especially after we eat," the girl reasoned with a shrug. "I'm not that crazy for crying out loud!" Nor was she stupid. But she needed something to help with the uneasiness she was feeling. Her mark was right in front of her, and she couldn't tell if Tanya was on to her not. But either way, she needed to play it cool and just carry on with her day. This was a test of her ability to maintain her cover, and not break it.

They passed the next half-hour talking and eating lunch. All the while they kept their wits about them, albeit for two different reasons. They tried their best to enjoy their lunch. It wasn't overly too hard though, and they were able to enjoy their meals without much of a hitch. They eventually paid their bills, and stepped outside of the bar.

Tanya took a moment to observe her surroundings. "Hmm…seems that the tail has disappeared for now. Let's head back to the ship and report back to the captain. She'll want to know about this."

"Agreed," Olivia replied back. She glanced down at her watch to take note of what time it was before catching up with Tanya.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

In no time at all the two of them reported back to the Imperator, and headed straight for Kigiku's office, where she was nestled comfortably on her office couch, watching 7-year-old Alexandra happily play some game with the young Celina. It suddenly hit Olivia that Celina was turning three in a couple of weeks. She needed to remember to buy the young toddler something for the occasion.

Tanya politely cleared her throat catching the older woman's attention. "May we have a moment?" Her answer was by an indication to sit down. She eyed the children warily, but the matter was waved off dismissively. Clearly she had no issues with her children listening on something like this.

The elder of the two assassins sat down and faced the captain. "I…I think that someone may be trying to follow me, and possibly assassinate me."

Kigiku raised an eyebrow. "Approximate time, and how long?"

"Approximately 1030 to 1100. Wasn't able to established LOS. Encountered Scarlet and took refuge in a nearby bar. Stayed for approximately one hour before reporting." The Hermes pilot's tone of voice was crisp and formal.

Captain Carter nodded her head, and then looked to Olivia. "Report."

"Established LOS at 1030," the red-head reported, using the format and jargon all members were taught. "LOS lost 1035, re-established 1100. Contact was established, ID remained concealed. Been in contact ever since."

"Wait…what?" Tanya suddenly exclaimed, looking back and forth between Olivia and Kigiku, as understanding began to dawn on her. "You don't mean…you're not saying that-"

"Tanya my friend," Kigiku sighed leaning back into her seat. Her expression was best described as, 'deeply amused,' "that was your tail."

"Damn…a tailing exercise," Tanya sighed and slummed back into her chair. "A freaken tailing exercise…oh man," she groaned and placed her hands on her face. "And I fell for it hook, line, and sinker." Her voice was muffled by her hands, but the mortification was evident. "Oh man…that's embarrassing…I should've realized it when the feeling disappeared…oh god damn it…"

"Sometimes…our worst enemies can be our friends," Kigiku sagely stated. Her grin widened when she glanced over to see Alexandra and Celina watching the meeting going on in deep interest. "I will never do that to you, but beware when you're out on a mission. One minute they're you're ally, the next their knife is in your heart. Be very careful with your cover, and look underneath everything. And remember," she looked at the two of them with the utmost seriousness.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted," she muttered as she slit her captive's throat. She pushed his flailing carcass aside and let him very quickly bleed out. Whoever the hell was after her knew what they were doing, but they were either very dumb to send rookies after her, or were very intelligent. She grinned as she winded her way through the alleys. The odds were clearly against her, and her mark was most likely aware of her presence. It was just like old times.

She travelled back to her room, and headed straight for the balcony where it offered her the best view of the city. Ahead, over the rest of the city roof, she could see a large installation. The mark was in there. She actually considered trying to take a shot here, but she wasn't sure where he was. It would be so much easier to just blow the place up. But not only would that risk civilian casualties, she wasn't a demo expert. But she knew someone who had been.

She unclasped her binoculars from her belt and looked through to get a better look at the base. She felt an eyebrow quirk.

"He's baiting me," she muttered. Across the way, she could clearly see the mark standing along the massive steel wall that overlooked much of the city. He appeared to be talking to someone, but from his stance, she had a feeling he was just waiting for someone to take a shot at him. She scanned the perimeter of the base, and noticed to her chagrin various sensor equipments. There was no way she'd be able to kill him, even at this distance. He was most definitely prepared for this. The fact that her room was bugged, being tailed, and the mark was standing out in the open like that, all pointed out that the mission was compromised from the beginning. She smiled in amusement.

"You really know how to set it up Nadia," she whispered. She turned around and walked back into the room. "I guess we're even now," Olivia calmly stated and closed the window doors.


End file.
